Joseph in Pharaoh's house

I'll turn, if you will, to chapter 41. We're going to change our approach a little bit and do a cross-section rather than just a chapter. I will try to be done shortly after three o'clock.

Reminded of Mr. Frank Peercy. Some of you didn't have the privilege of knowing Mr. Peercy. Went home to heaven a few years ago.

Very unique, able man. Said he went to an assembly one time and when he got there, he asked them what time the meeting was done. And they said, well, we all leave at 830, but you can keep preaching as long as you want.

So, please don't leave at three o'clock on me. Look at chapter 41 and down at the end of the chapter, verse number... I'm going to depend upon you to know all the intervening events. I hope that's not asking too much.

Look at verse number 40. Joseph has been catapulted out of the prison by giving the interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams to him. And in verse number 40, Thou shalt be over my house and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled.

Only in the throne will I be greater than thou. Pharaoh said unto Joseph, see I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck and made him ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried before him, bow the knee.

And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphath-Paneah.

Now there's two meanings to that name, as your margin will tell you. Savior of the world and the revealer of secrets. That of course links itself with John 4, a man that told me all things that ever I did.

And then the Samaritans, indeed, this is the Christ the Savior of the world. So there you have one of those lovely gleams of the Lord Jesus. He gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, a priest of An, and Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

Down the chapter, verse 50, unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, priest of An, bear unto him, and Joseph called the name of the first Manasseh. For God said, he hath made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim, for God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

And seven years of plenteousness that were in the land of Egypt were ended, and seven years of dearth began to come. According as Joseph had said, on all the dearth was in all the lands, and in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread.

And Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, go unto Joseph. What he saith to you, do, similar to John chapter 2. And the famine was over all the face of the earth. And Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold unto the Egyptians.

And the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all the countries came unto Egypt to Joseph, for to buy corn, because the famine was sore in all the lands. Now look at chapter 43, just for a verse.

The brothers have made their first trip to Egypt, and now have, they discover their money and their sacks on the way home, and they've come back the second time, verse 19. They came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and communed with him at the door of the house, and said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food. It came to pass, when we came to the inn, we opened our sacks, and every man's money was in the mouth of his sack.

Our money was in full weight, and we have brought it again in our hand. Other money have we brought down on our hands to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

And he said, peace be to you, fear not, your God and the God of your father hath given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money, or your money came to me. And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Chapter 45, this is Joseph making himself known, verse number 1. Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by, and he cried, cause every man to go out from me, and there stood no man with him. While Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, and he wept aloud unto all the Egyptians in the house of Pharaoh heard. Look down the chapter at verse number 16.

And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come, and it pleased Pharaoh well and his servants. Verse number 21. And the children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, ten she-asses with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed, and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

Chapter 46, verse number 31. Now Joseph is about to bring his brothers in. And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto his father's house, I will go up and show Pharaoh and say unto them, My brethren, my father's house which were in the land of Canaan are come unto me.

And the men are shepherds from their trade, and their trade hath been to feed cattle. Now you ought to understand that the word cattle is used for all types of domestic animals. Shepherds take care of cattle in that sense.

And they brought their flocks and their herds and all that they had. And it came to pass when Pharaoh shall call you and shall say, What is your occupation? You shall say, Thy serving trade hath been about cattle, or shepherds, from our youth. Even until now, both we and our fathers, that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen.

For every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. Chapter 47, verse number 2. And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. Verse 5. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, My father and thy brethren are come unto thee.

The land of Egypt is before thee, and the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell. And the land of Goshen let them dwell. And if thou knowest any man of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

And so on. Look down at verse number 14. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the corn which they bought.

And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. Chapter 50, verse number 4. Jacob has died. Verse number 4. When the days of mourning were passed, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in thy sight, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die in my grave, which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan.

There shalt thou bury me. Now, therefore, let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

And Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of the house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and so on. Now I trust God will add his rich blessing to the reading of his word. Joseph's vindication has come.

Day of triumph. Day when everything, all the loose threads of life, were beginning suddenly to coalesce and to begin to make a pattern that Joseph could understand, and Joseph beginning to trace the hand of God. So in this section we have the skillful administrator as he administers over the house of Pharaoh.

We have the scrupulous steward as he is responsible for the care of the land and the handling of the money of Pharaoh's house. We have the spiritual brother as he begins to deal with his brothers, the ten sons that had come up from the land of Canaan. And we have a sorrowing son at the end, and his respect for his father, and yet how he deals with Pharaoh's house even in that set of circumstances.

So there is much material here to look at in the brief time we have. Let me just try to simplify it in this way. Let me talk to you first of all about the test of success.

The test of success. Now you may think that adversity is a tremendous test, and it is. But success can be a tremendous trial as well.

Tremendous test of a man's character. What will he do with a full cup? What will he do when everything is going well? What will he do when everything is working out and all of his dreams and aspirations have come true? How do we handle success? There are some in the Bible that didn't handle success too well. I don't have to go into detail, do I, about Uzziah or about Hezekiah.

Let me just remind you of a man named Noah. For 600 years in a godless society, he remained pure. For over a year, cooped up in an ark with his relatives.

That can be a test. And a bunch of animals. He maintained his testimony and his character.

He comes out onto a new earth where there is not an unregenerate man alive. And he makes himself drunk. He falls at the end.

When everything had been successful to that point in time. So do I need to emphasize the danger of success? The test of success. Did you notice the fine linen robe he was given? The first man in Scripture to wear a linen robe.

It's as though God is saying to everybody, here is a man that has endured false accusation and mistreatment for years. I am going to array him in a linen robe. Because I want to vindicate him publicly before the world.

That this man was absolutely righteous. Nothing that occurred to him was a result of his sin, his shortcoming, his failure. The first man in our Bible to wear a linen robe.

God is vindicating him publicly for every eye to see. Joseph was righteous amidst everything. His character recognized, his compensation given, his consistent life attested to.

The linen robe for all to see. The test of success. How did Joseph use his vindication? I don't know if you ever thought of it.

Maybe my mind is so devious that these things come natural to me. You read in Psalm 105, one of those commentaries on Joseph's life, that the word of the Lord came and brought him out of prison. And amongst the many other things it says there concerning Joseph.

It says to bind his senators at will. Interesting. Joseph had the authority.

Joseph had the power to just bind at will. That's like a carte blanche. Not like our day where you have to have a charge and have an attorney and make sure it's just to bind his senators at will.

Not just the lowly but the senators. What would you have done? Whose house would you have gone? What door would you have knocked on first? Know where I would have gone? Gone back to Potiphar. You threw me in prison? Guess what? You're going in prison now.

Okay? None of that with Joseph. Absolute authority and power yet doesn't use it. To vindicate himself.

Tremendous to think of that. One of the two times Joseph could have taken vengeance on those who were responsible for all his years of grief and sorrow yet never mentions that he has a thought. Doesn't even have a thought towards Potiphar or Potiphar's wife for all the injustice he had received.

Could have bound them and thrown them in prison to be forgotten forever. But he doesn't do it. But you'll notice as well not only that but his success doesn't go to his head.

Not just as there is the fine linen but he is marked by faithfulness. You know why I point that out? His second son is born and you know what he called him? You know what his name means? God hath made me fruitful where? In the land of my affliction. Egypt still was the land of affliction for Joseph.

It was in his home. It was in his home. He may be exalted.

He may be empowered. He may be enriched. He may be brought to the pinnacle of greatness and honor and glory in a foreign land but as we'll see as we trace him later on, Egypt is still not his home.

Now amongst us as the people of God because of a hard work ethic, because of honesty and integrity there have been men that have been promoted to great places of responsibility. In industry and in corporations and in communities. But ever remember as Joseph did, this is not my home.

This is the land of my affliction. Honor, esteem may rightly come to some as a result of their character and as a result of what they have done for others but never his home. Never was home for Joseph.

It was the land of his affliction. He's marked then by faithfulness. He was a man that was focused then on what he was given to do and he carries out his agenda and so on.

Let me come though beyond the test of success which is a tremendous test. I remember speaking to someone in a set of circumstances moving from a hand to mouth existence and as a result of marriage moving into great wealth. And I said to this individual you may have thought that financial restraints was a great trial.

You may well discover that financial wealth is an even greater trial. You may say you'd like to have that trial. Well, maybe the Lord will give it to you.

But it is a tremendous difficulty because there are things that you don't even think about doing. You don't think about buying a home in the Rockies in Colorado, a home in Phoenix and a home in Florida so you can flip between the four. That's a no brainer.

You can't afford it. You just don't bother doing it. And you're not concerned about having your $4,000 high definition screen because you can't afford it.

And joining the country club for $10,000 a year. Can't afford it. But if money were nothing.

If you could have whatever you wanted. If you could do whatever you wanted to do with anything you had. And doors begin to open that are tremendously tempting.

Financial independence can become a tremendous trial for a believer. Money really and I know you're going to say I wish I had the worry. Money is a worry.

If you think of it. You worry about getting it. Worry about keeping it.

Worry about spending it the right way. Worry about the guilt of spending it the wrong way. Worry about who you're going to leave it to.

What they're going to do with it when it's gone. And on and on it goes. So there is a tremendous issue here about the test of success.

That leads me really to the next test which I call the test of silver. The test of silver. What this man did with money.

Because into his hand was not just committed power and authority. Most men want power and authority because of the money it brings them. I don't want to slam politicians or anything of that nature but we have lived long enough most of us to see that men want the office not just for the power and the prestige and the importance it brings them but for the opportunity to handle money.

The test of silver. What I find in scripture is the way a man handles money is perhaps one of the best barometers of a man's spiritual condition. The way a man handles money is one of the best barometers.

Let me show you that. Because the way men handle the spoils of war is a tremendous subject in the word of God. The first man was Abraham wasn't it? As he comes back with the spoils of war from following the kings when the five king is against the four in the slime pits and so on.

You know the story well and he goes out to rescue his brother Lot and he brings back the spoils of war. What does Abraham do with them? You recall what happens. The king of Lot comes out.

You keep the spoils give me the goods. I'm sorry. You keep the spoils give me the souls.

What does Abraham say? I have lifted up my hand to the most high God possessor of heaven and earth that I won't take a thing that belongs to you. Not a shoe latchet. Didn't need what the world could give him.

He was willing to yield the spoils of war. All he wanted were the souls, Lot and others. What about David with the spoils of war? What does he do? He consecrates it to God for the service of the temple of God.

Rather for the building of the temple of God. What does Solomon do with the spoils of war? Solomon brings it all into God's treasury. You can look at Hezekiah and other men what they did with the spoils of war but think for a moment of Achan what he did with the spoils of war.

Achan saw there a goodly Babylonish garment and this wedge of silver and the gold and he coveted and he took it. Spoils of war were too much for Achan. What men did with the spoils of war showed where their heart was as far as God was concerned.

What you and I do with the financial resources God has given us indicates what we think of God. You get any group of young Christians around and you bring up the subject, maybe it's the subject for a bible reading, bring up the subject of giving and the question always comes what percent? Should it be 10%? Should it be 15%? You tip the waitress 18% or 20% depending on your generosity whether you're a male or a female. Usually that's what determines the level of tipping.

So what do you give God? How much does He get? How we handle our finances. Now I can speak, I think I can speak with liberty because I work and I'm in need of no gifts and I'm not here soliciting funds so I have a little more liberty maybe than others might. What you and I do with our finances is a tremendous test of our spiritual character.

Giving as much as we can, now I realize and God realizes as well, He doesn't want money you owe other people. Just make sure the owing that you have is not because you've spent beyond your means but you've got rent, you've got bills, you've got children you've got mortgages, you've got car payments. Just make sure as you commit yourself to those expenses that you're doing it recognizing responsibility with your funds.

When all is said and done, does it hurt? Is it hurting you to give? Anything you're sacrificing so you can give to God? Anything that you can think of that you have gone without so you can give to God? Anything you can think of that you have given and you don't want to look back because it hurt to give, it was costly to give, but your burden, your exercise, your care for that work, that hall, that building that worker, that laborer, that mission field, God laid it on your heart and you out of devotion to Him gave. It's a misconception that the Israelites gave 10%, a gross misconception. If you go back and you begin calculating all they gave they had to give 10%, they had to give other things as well 10% of other things, they had to give their first fruits and you begin calculating it was far more than 10% that an Israelite gave.

That was under law. And so when Paul takes up his pen he says, according as God has prospered you. Now, I don't know everyone here, in fact, many of you I don't know, but I think it's probably a fair estimate that the majority of us are living with far more than our parents ever lived.

We have far more in the way of things and possessions and prosperity than our parents ever had. We're not wanting for anything, the vast majority of us. Maybe some are here and I don't mean that in a negative way, but most of us have been blessed beyond our wildest imaginations.

If you had told me as a boy what I would have today and how God has blessed me I would say, I think you're a bit off, that will never happen. But we all have so much. Yet so much we spend on ourselves and our toys and our games, work of God.

I didn't mean to get on this, but it got over this was a subject that came up several times at a recent conference that I was there just listening, it was our own conference at home, so it didn't take any part. Did you ever sit down with, I don't want to mention truth and tidings for any personal reasons, but with the address list of workers in North America, start counting up full time servants of the Lord in the US. Forget Canada for a moment, just in the US.

And then begin to put next to that 35 or 40 number of servants in the US their ages. You know what you realize? A very scary reality. Another generation will see the ranks depleted by half at least if not more.

We are already woefully weak in the US, full time laborers. And is one possible reason, only one possible reason we have become so, so materialistic. Young couples starting out in life have to have everything, become indebted, committed, and if God were to begin exercising that heart to give time to the gospel just no way out.

You're so committed, you're so bound, you're so obligated to debts, there's just no way out of the problem. No way you can be free to serve God. It's one of our difficulties in North America that we have become so prosperous that the thought of somehow breaking free from that cycle is just, can't be.

Is that why we are so weak? Is that why there are places where assemblies are dwindling and new works aren't starting? You might say, hey, what are you doing up there talking about that? What have you done? Yeah, okay, I work, I realize that. I'm not a full time worker, but I'm just telling you something that's on my own heart as a burden. That we are in tremendous need in North America and the US especially.

Canada has outdone us by far. Probably as many men working in the province of Ontario as in all of the US. Think of the population differences in the two countries.

US is over, what is it now, 300 million? And what does Canada have? 27 million in one province, Ontario. It's just disproportionate. Something is dreadfully wrong and one of the things is our marriage to prosperity and materialism.

How does Joseph then handle material things? How does he handle the money that is put into his hands? The first thing is he does not enrich himself, he enriches Pharaoh. He does not enrich himself, he enriches Pharaoh. Remember we read that verse together in chapter 47, verse 14.

Joseph gathers all the money, the land of Egypt, the land of Canaan, what does he do with it? Gives it to Pharaoh. It's not his. Not his.

As an employee serving his employer, he's faithful. He handles it with utmost honesty, utmost integrity. He never enriches himself with what is given into his hands.

Wasn't there for himself. He's seen here then as a wise employee who is seeking with God's help to carry out his function, carry out his responsibility to the very best of his ability. Now we've already talked a bit about employees and employment and places you work, but let me just say this.

Honesty is not an option for a believer. Truthfulness is not an option for a believer. I don't want to hit on young people, so please forgive me but I think we have gotten to the point where some think that lies are okay to tell.

And you don't have to be always honest all the time. They're not options. That's character.

That's character for God. That's Christ-likeness. Truthfulness.

Honesty. That's what marks this young man. Let me just show you how great his honesty is in just this little point that I appreciate in Joseph's life.

Not only doesn't he enrich himself with what belongs to Pharaoh, he doesn't show favoritism to his family. Now you may say, where do you see that? The brothers came up to buy corn and when they stop in the inn on the way back, they discover every man his money in the sack of his mouth. And of course, this creates great consternation and fear, and when they come up again the second time, they called the steward of Joseph's house aside and say, look, listen, we paid our money somehow it got back in our sacks.

And he says, I don't know what happened, your money came to me. How'd it get back in the sack? Joseph paid it himself. He didn't take the money that they brought and give it back to them.

The steward said, I have your money. Your money came to me. Everything was paid.

There's no question here that somehow your money got back in your sack. I don't know how God must have given you that treasure because I have your money. So Joseph paid it himself.

Out of his own money. Absolutely righteous with what belonged to another man. Absolutely above board in handling what was given to him to administer.

That's the character of this man, Joseph. He is not going to use his position either to retaliate against foes or to enrich himself or to show favoritism to his family. He's absolutely righteous in all that he does.

Success did not spoil him. Success does not make him think that now he has a right to make up for lost years and to make up for all that he has had to suffer. His brothers come with their money, he pays it out of his own pocket.

God has given you treasure in your sack. Your money came to me, says the steward of David's house. So then the bottom line comes down again to number one, what kind of employee are you? What kind of employee are you? Honest? Integrity? A little different set of circumstances, but you will see the point in the comparison.

There's a young man he's not young anymore. Everybody's young to me anymore. He's not quite so young anymore.

Middle-aged man in the city of Hong Kong who serves the Lord full-time as an evangelist. When he was saved, you have to understand that he was saved out of heathendom, out of idol worship. And when he was saved he came home and bowed his head and gave thanks.

His grandmother looked at him and in their own way said, are you praying to Jesus? And he said, yes. She said, you know what that's going to mean for you, don't you? He said, yes, I know what it means. He was the oldest of several brothers in the family and of course where ancestral worship is the norm to break the line of ancestral worship is to dishonor your relatives, to affect their eternal well-being and everything else.

So when his father came home and his brothers came home, his father gave the brothers permission to beat him up. To beat him literally physically for having followed Jesus as they would call it. His father had a business.

The day came when he told the brothers, nobody else handles my accounting. But Thomas, he's the only one of you I can trust. The one they beat.

The one that they despised was the one who was known for such honesty and such integrity. He's the only one I trust handling my money. Your employer trusts you handling his money? Is that the kind of character reputation you have where you work? Is that the kind of reputation Joseph had? Pharaoh didn't have to worry.

Didn't even look over his shoulder. Just left everything in Joseph's hands. Wonderful testimony to have in the place where you work to be able to be entrusted with that kind of responsibility.

But then in a practical way the way we handle our funds make to yourselves friends. Make to yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness. That when you fail they will receive you into everlasting habitations.

The Lord Jesus spoke of that which is least and that which is much. That which is mammon, that which is true riches. That which is your own, that which is another's.

Now we would put money under column B. The true riches. That which is our own. The Lord Jesus didn't.

He put it under column A. Because everything you have is someday going to be another's. Not yours. Can't take it with you.

It's not yours forever. It's not the true riches. And so he says rather than it ruling you, you use it.

You use it so that when it fails they will receive you into everlasting habitations. I may seem overly sentimental and maybe you may think far-fetched. I can't help but think the Lord Jesus was saying something like this.

I think I can say this freely here because I think you've been involved. Think of what it means for some young believers here to sacrifice time and money. For some older believers here who have sacrificed money.

Sent it down to places like Mexico El Salvador. And as a result of what you have sent men have been able to stay on the field preaching the gospel. Souls have been saved.

What do you think heaven is going to be like? Do you think they're going to be ignorant of the fact that what you sacrificed, what you did didn't have a little part to play in their salvation? Do you think that neighbor you bring to a meeting gets saved? Do you think that somehow they're not going to be appreciative in heaven? Oh, I thought we're all going to be occupied with the Lord Jesus. Absolutely. But I still think there's going to be brother and sister relationships that are going to be far, far better than what we have here.

And we'll know certainly we won't know less. I would hate to think we'll be less intelligent in heaven. I would think we'd be more.

And find people who got saved as a result of that gift you sent that preacher. And those things you did, those seats or texts that you were active in giving out in Mexico over your vacation where you could have been doing something else but you gave that time to the Lord. So the Lord Jesus Christ says make yourselves friends that way.

Use what you have now in light of an eternal day that is coming when they'll receive you into everlasting habitations. What a thing to think of. Was it Rutherford who said about if one soul in Amesworth meet me at God's right hand, my heavens shall be two heavens in Emmanuel's land.

What a thing to see. There are some here that are active full time in the Gospel. What a thing to see people who as a result of sacrifice and labor have gotten saved.

And those here active in children's work. Those here active in outreach work. To have those people appreciative of the sacrifices you've made.

Anybody that's done any work for God know it costs money. It costs money to do something. Children's work, outreach work, whatever it is you're sacrificing.

There's a price to be paid financially as well as time wise. All that says what you think of God and what you think of His work and what you think of heaven. It's worth going in for.

And so here we have the test of silver. More could be said. I have to leave that for the sake of time.

But not just the test of success and the test of silver. The test of stewardship. I want to talk to you about the test of silence.

And we touched on this in the last ministry meeting. But let me just emphasize it again. When Pharaoh's brethren I'm sorry.

When Joseph's brethren come and Joseph reveals himself to them it says we read things so commonly and so casually we lose the tremendous import of it. It says they heard the fame. Fame.

Yeah fame. Of Joseph's brethren. Boy I would have thought they would have heard of the failures.

But it tells us there in chapter 45 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house. Joseph's brethren are come. Wow.

They heard Joseph's sobs. But they never heard of the cause of Joseph's sorrows. They heard of the fame of his brothers but never of their failures.

I think that's a tremendous thing. That is a tremendous thing. In Joseph's dealings with his brothers and with Joseph's life in Egypt He allows God to vindicate him.

He allows God to bring him out of the prison house for Pharaoh to give him the white linen robe. The fine linen robe. And he never once divulged to anyone in Egypt.

My brothers sold me. My brothers hated me. My brothers harmed me.

Egypt never knew a thing about the cause of Joseph's suffering. So that when his brothers came all they knew was Joseph's brothers are here. Let's give honor to them.

Beware how you speak. In fact don't speak a negative thing about other Christians. And especially don't speak it to the unsaved.

We've said that already. I'm going to leave it there. Because what I find here as far as Joseph and his brothers in Pharaoh's house.

Joseph instructs them as what is appropriate for Pharaoh's company. He brings them in. Joseph is going to bring his brothers and his father in before Pharaoh in all the honor and dignity that belongs to him.

In other words he is going to use his honor for the good of his brothers. He brings them in before Pharaoh. My brother.

My father and my brethren. And so he's going to instruct them as to what is appropriate for Pharaoh. Here's how you should act.

And not only that but he introduces them to Pharaoh and then finally he invests them with responsibility. He gives them responsibility. Whoever is an able man among you make him master over my people and so on.

So he's giving them investing confidence and encouraging them in the land they're in. What dignity he shows in his dealings with others. What graciousness he shows as he deals with others.

More of that in tomorrow's meeting if we can but just to mention that here. How he deals with them in such kindness and in such grace. He affords them all the dignity he can keep upon them.

All the honor that he got as a result of his sufferings. All the power and authority he had received as a result of his sufferings. He places at their disposal for their benefit.

Now that's a faint picture very faint but still a picture of what we have as a result of Christ. Everything, every honor, every glory he has at God's right hand. You know what he's done with it? Hasn't used it for himself.

Placed it at our disposal. So God has made him a high priest so he's a high priest for us. God has exalted him.

God has made him an advocate. He's our advocate. God has made him the shepherd and bishop of our souls and so Peter says you can return to the shepherd and bishop.

Everything he is. Every office he holds. Every glory that shines around him.

You know what he's done with it? He's put it at your disposal and mine. For our blessing. For our good.

Nothing is divorced. Nothing is somehow disconnected from your blessing and mine. That's what Joseph does with his brothers.

That's what Christ has done for us. Never forget we are just as deserving of that blessing as Joseph's brothers were deserving of his blessing. Totally unworthy.

Totally unfit and yet he has so richly blessed us. The silent, the test of of silence. It is one of the hardest things to be silent sometimes.

Some people are naturally retiring and naturally quieter than others. Some people have a more difficult time. I've seen people that actually hate silence.

If you get two or three people together in a group, some people get very uncomfortable with silence and they gotta say something. No matter what it is, just gotta say something because silence is unnerving to them. But we're not talking about that.

We're talking here about being able to keep family matters within the family. Being able to leave things where they should be kept rather than broadcasted abroad. Where no wood is, the fire goes out, the wise man said.

Don't stoke the fire. Don't add fuel to fires. You see, if Joseph had divulged to Pharaoh's house something of his background I mean, you can reason from a human standpoint, can't you? I'll never see my brothers again.

And you know, you gotta talk to somebody about your past, your baggage. And you know, to be well adjusted and to have my own sense of self-respect and self-esteem, I better unburden myself and talk to somebody here. So I'll talk to some of Pharaoh's counselors about my past and my difficulties and my scars.

See, if he had divulged any of that to the ungodly, when those brothers came, Joseph may have forgiven them but Egypt would have never forgotten. Never forget that. You may well forgive an erring brother, as you should.

You may well forgive a wrong done to you by other believers in the assembly, but if you have broadcasted it to unsaved people, especially family members, they won't forget. They won't forgive. They'll live with that memory all their lives.

This test of silence. The test of sorrow. Joseph deals with Pharaoh's house at a time of sorrow with the same character he has dealt with every other issue in life.

Sorrow does not become an excuse. The death of a father does not become the excuse for any change in Joseph. Respect, dignity, recognizing the authority of Pharaoh, recognizing the fact that even though he was second in the land, that he still had to recognize Pharaoh's authority.

Sorrow doesn't become an excuse for somehow getting away from principles and getting away from character. There are sometimes believers, and this may have nothing to do with anything here, and I am not minimizing the depths of sorrow some believers can know, but sometimes believers going through sorrow absent themselves from the meetings for months as though somehow, because you're going through sorrow, the assembly becomes unnecessary. Again, I'm not minimizing sorrow and the fact that people grieve in different ways and at different paces, and I'm not saying that if a loved one dies tonight, you're breaking your bread tomorrow morning.

Please, I'm not trying to be callous towards grief, but sometimes people stay away for months as though somehow, you know, life has changed now and after all, you know, I've got a sorrow and Joseph doesn't change because of sorrow. He doesn't change because of grief. He doesn't show disrespect.

You will notice that Joseph is marked by care, concern, by humility. He moves with his brothers and so on. He shows respect in sorrow, even to Pharaoh.

He doesn't use it as an excuse in any way for change of character. He's marked by that same consideration and that same care. I was going to take you to the Lord Jesus on the cross different ways he dealt with others, but time doesn't permit.

You can look at that for yourself. How the Lord Jesus dealt with his mother, the thief. How the Lord Jesus dealt with the will of God and his own on that hour.

You can look at that for yourself. Let me just summarize then what I have said and close with passing over a number of things. Let me just ask you to think of it this way.

What did Joseph do with his hurt? Number one. Number two. What did Joseph do with his honor? Number three.

How did Joseph maintain his house? And number four. How did Joseph speak of his household? Okay. What did Joseph do with his hurt? Let me give you a maxim.

Hurt people hurt people. Make sense? Hurt people hurt people. So when someone's hurting, their natural instinct is hurt others.

You know, you're going down with me. If I'm going down, you're going down with me. I'm going to drag you down with me.

Joseph never hurts anyone. You know why? Because Joseph dealt with his hurt in the presence of God. Joseph saw an overriding, overruling, sovereign hand that had controlled everything in his life.

Never gets wallowing in self-pity. Never gets lost in the maze of introspection. But he recognizes the events of my life have been under the control of God.

And I will bow to that and recognize God has a purpose. Listen. Get a big picture.

Get the big picture in life. Don't just get a tiny little fragment by looking at this event and that event. Get a big picture.

God's in control. God hasn't abdicated. God hasn't somehow left you at the whim of whatever Satan would do, whatever friends will do, whatever will happen.

No. God's in absolute control. A life yielded to Him.

God will work out purposes. Hurts are taken into the presence of God and dealt with there. Because hurt people hurt people.

What did he do with his honor? Used it for others. Not for himself. Used it for the blessing of those who were least deserving of it.

How did he speak of his households? My brethren and my father are come. Here they are. Let me bring them in in the dignity, in all the honor I can bestow upon them before Pharaoh.

Do you speak that way of the household of God? Speak that way of other Christians? Look for the best in them? Say the best about them? That's what Joseph did. Those boys were a bunch of rascals. No question.

But Joseph brought them in because they were his brothers. And all that he could bring them to of good he would as a result of what he had suffered and a result of what he had paid for their blessing. May the Lord help us then to learn some of these very, very simple, elementary, basic lessons from Joseph's life.

To recognize these truths, the test of silver, rather beginning with the test of success, that God will bring different believers to different points of success not for selfish ends, but to serve others and to be a blessing to others. The test of silver that God will bring some to places of prosperity so that they can use it for the good of others. The test of stewardship that God will bring some to responsibility that they may be marked by faithfulness and administering for God.

The test of silence that God will expect you and me to never spread to ungodly ears any of the failures or faults of the people of God. And the test of sorrow to recognize that even in hours of sorrow, in hours of grief character is what will still carry us through. Consistency and seeking to honor God even under those circumstances that God might be glorified.

Shall we speak to God in prayer?