Being a student is more rewarding when you cooperate with your teacher. In the same way, being a believer is more rewarding when you cooperate with God. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah considers the importance of accepting God's training schedule and how it helped Joseph rise from poverty to power. With the conclusion of his powerful message from prison to palace.
Here's David. Thank you for joining us for this Friday edition of Turning Point. We're happy to have you along as we come. Continue our study in the life of Joseph. Today we're going to conclude our discussion of Joseph's.
journey from the prison to the palace. And uh the lessons that are So easily observed in this discussion. We'll get to those in a few moments as we. Conclude this two-part message from Genesis chapter 41. It's the Friday edition of Turning Point, and I really do want to keep reminding you during the month of September that you can get this beautiful calendar called Following in His Footsteps, which has been prepared just for our viewers and listeners.
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Let's notice the wisdom of Joseph. in Genesis 41, 15 and following. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I've had a dream. and there's no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream to interpret it.
Not only had God been preparing Joseph and shaping him to the kind of man. who could be the prime minister of a great nation, he was preparing Pharaoh. And the king was frantic about his dreams, so now he's ready to listen to this lowly slave who just got out of prison a few minutes ago and just had time to shave before he showed up. and share the wisdom that comes from God. I am so impressed with Joseph's first words.
So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me. God will give Pharaoh a Financer of peace. Joseph predicted Egypt's future. and gave the credit to God. Joseph points out on several occasions That he knows God is behind all that's going on in his life.
And God is the one to explain it to Pharaoh. That's why we read in verse 25 of chapter 41. God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. That's why we read in Genesis 41, 32. The thing is established by God.
The Lord was the one behind every event, and it was God's will for Pharaoh to know what was about to happen. Pharaoh had two dreams. And as I understand the culture of that time, the doubling of a dream was a sign that what was about to happen would be both crucial and quick.
So he quickly told Joseph the content of his dreams, and Joseph says. Pharaoh, you didn't have two dreams, you just had one. They mean the same thing. And then he explained the meaning of the dreams to the king, In this succinct paragraph, this is what he told him. The seven good cows are seven years.
and the seven thin and ugly cows which come up after them are seven years. Indeed, seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt. but after them seven years of famine will arise. and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will deplete the land. Thus Pharaoh finally had his question answered.
He now understood what God was going to do in the future. and that the Lord had chosen Joseph to reveal that future to him.
So Joseph predicted Egypt's future. And then Joseph proposed a solution to the problem. In verse 33. Imagine Joseph, he's just out of prison. I like to think about this story, and it so intrigues me.
He just got shaved. He just got washed. Maybe there's still some. moisture around his face. He's standing in front of the most powerful man on earth.
And he's answering this man's questions. If that had been me, I probably would have been very quiet, and after answering the questions, slipped back to my cell, But Joseph had become bold. And he didn't stop with telling the king what was going to happen. He followed that by telling the king what to do about what was going to happen. And this is what he told him.
Now, therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man. and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land to collect. one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt. in the seven plentiful years.
and let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming. And store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt. that the land may not perish during the famine. That's his Plan for the years that are coming.
And it's very interesting that it was not only a plan that was for the whole nation. But it was geographically oriented. They put the food in food centers in the major cities so when the famine came, the food would be close and available to those who were hungry. The famine is coming and the people are to double their tithe to the government. Instead of giving 10%, they need to start giving 20%.
And the king ought to put somebody in charge. to make sure this whole operation functions. You might think that Joseph Was laying out a plan for his own self, but I don't think so. I don't think Joseph had a clue that he would be chosen for that position. I mean, he just got out of jail.
Nor did he have the audacity to believe that in one day he could be promoted from prisoner to prime minister. That just doesn't happen. Joseph simply offered the wisdom the Lord gave to him. both in the interpretation of the dream and in the proposed solution. Pharaoh must have thought to himself, hey, that's a great idea.
Well, where am I going to find somebody who can organize such a big project? I don't own anybody like that. Then he looks down at the man standing right in front of him and realizes this is the only guy who could interpret his dream out of all the brain trust in the whole land of Egypt and the only one who could solve his greatest problem. And bing, the light went off in his head. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Inasmuch as God has shown all this to you, There is no one as discerning and wise as you.
Wisdom has been described as knowledge put into action. It is the ability to make sound decisions even in unprecedented situations. Joseph had that. In our church today, we need it. In our country today, we need it.
In our communities today, we need it. You know what wisdom really is? Doing the right thing without a precedent. We can all figure out what to do if it's been done before and somebody solved the problem back then. We go back, we study the problem, we take the solution, we make a few changes, and we put it into action.
the wisdom of Joseph. Then notice the will of Pharaoh. It was Pharaoh's will that Joseph be installed as second in command over all of Egypt.
So Pharaoh told Joseph, verses 40 and 41, Joseph, you're going to be over my house. And all my people will be ruled according to your word. Only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, see, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. How's that?
for starting out in the morning in prison. and ending up that night as head over the whole nation. Joseph was given the job of vizier. He had all the rights and powers of the king. and actually served as king during the ruler's absence.
And no matter came to the king without the vizier's advice being given. He issued all the orders, he carried out the royal commands, and he supervised everybody in the cabinet. Joseph was an important man. and he had great responsibility. And that jump from prison to palace in one day was absolutely remarkable.
But God had been planning that for many years. many years. Happened in one day, but it was under construction for many weeks and months. You know, that's the truth for us, isn't it?
Sometimes things happen in our lives and we think, Whoa, where'd that come from? And then we look back and we can see the hand of God. He's been preparing things along the way. I could tell you stories about my life. that illustrate that, but the stories of the Bible are way better, so we'll stick with them.
In verses 42 and 43, the text tells us that there were several things Pharaoh gave to Joseph. that he had never had before. Let's notice what they are. First of all, he was given a ring. Pharaoh literally took his signet ring off of his finger and put it on the hand of Joseph.
That gave Joseph the power to sign on behalf of the king. In giving the ring, Pharaoh was giving Joseph. Total responsibility. The Bible also says that Joseph was given a robe. signifying his princely position in the royal court.
Now, how many of you know that's really significant? Because Joseph had had a couple of robes. Remember, he had a multicolored robe, and that one was taken off and stained with the blood of animals and given to his father to communicate that Joseph was dead. Then he had another robe. Remember that one?
It was caught by Potiphar's wife, and Joseph ran out and left the robe in her hands. And that robe got him thrown into prison. But oh my goodness, is he got a robe now? He's got a robe from the king, a royal robe. That was to be his robe for the next 80 years of his life.
as he served as Prime Minister of Egypt. He was given A robe, and he was also given a gold chain. And he was allowed to ride in the second chariot. and Egyptian parades. And now everybody would bow down and worship Joseph.
He became almost a divinity to the people of Egypt. These were all the ways of revealing the honor Joseph now had. Just remember now, as a boy, he had dreamed of others bowing down to him, and now they're doing that. The slave hands. would be wearing the king's ring The chained feet would be free to travel anywhere right behind the king's chariot, and God orchestrated it all just as he had told Joseph He would.
It happened in one day. but it was happening over many, many weeks. Verse 46 says, Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh. and went throughout the land of Egypt.
And let's do a little math. How old was Joseph when his brothers sold him into slavery? He was seventeen. The last years of his teens and his entire decade of twenties. were spent in slavery or in prison.
But nothing was lost. Nothing was wasted. all the hardship, all the disappointments, all the delays. It was all preparing Joseph to literally overnight become the second most powerful man in the world. In his own timing, according to his own ways.
God was shaping Joseph into someone he could use. Joseph wasn't chosen randomly. He had developed characteristics necessary for a position of high influence. Let me just mention four things about Joseph that made him a fit candidate. when he submitted to God.
God's sovereignty was in his life. Notice he had a courageous vision. From the day that Joseph shared his dreams until he ascended to the throne, He never wavered in his belief. that God was giving him a vision for the future.
Now hey friends, this is one thing to get a vision. And a lot of people have visions.
Sometimes it's because they ate too much pizza before they went to sleep. But you know what? A vision that only lasts for two or three days isn't much of a vision. Anybody can sustain that basically in their own power. It's one thing to have a vision realized within months, but when God gives you a dream, A genuine vision and purpose for the future, it takes a lot longer.
I hope you have such a vision for your life. God gave Joseph a vision and for more than a decade That vision was tested. In the crucible of suffering and disappointment and distress and difficulty. And he couldn't see anything on the horizon that remotely resembled God's promise. Joseph never stopped believing in his dream.
And someone has said the true test Of your vision is how easily you are discouraged from pursuing it. If God gives you a vision, he will test it. He won't let it just happen instantly. Nobody gets their vision or dream fulfilled that easily. The men and women God ultimately uses are those who remain courageous.
They stick to what God has called them to do even when the material things, personal circumstances and individual situations in their lives don't seem to align with what God has placed in their hearts. Those who courageously persevere are the ones God uses. And then Joseph was committed to God's glory. We've touched on this already. He told Pharaoh, God will give you an answer.
And he told Pharaoh the answer was from God. I'm telling you what When God does a great thing in your life, don't ever take the credit to yourself. Because then you will lose the blessing. The blessing comes when you are a Useful person To bring glory to God. And then God does a great thing.
Joseph was courageous in his vision, committed to God's glory. and he was controlled by the Holy Spirit. Even Pharaoh noticed that Joseph was a different kind of dude. He called him a different way than he called anybody else. He said he was a man in whom is the Spirit of God.
And I'm pretty sure Pharaoh didn't know much about God. And didn't know much about the Spirit of God. He just knew that what he saw in Joseph was different than anything he had ever seen in anyone else, and that God, whoever God was, Must be involved in the life of Joseph. He was a man in whom was the Spirit of God. Can I ask us a question today?
Does God recognized in your life and in mine. Is there anything about you that is That's a God thing. There needs to be that in our lives, especially in this dark age when. God has been removed from every public place where he used to be at home. While Pharaoh may not have fully understood the concept of God's Spirit as we do today, He knew that Joseph was different.
Scripture tells us that a key mark of a spirit-filled life. is consistency under pressure. When you're under pressure. If you're spirit filled, it'll show up. It's not so easy to show a spirit-filled life in times of prosperity.
But when you're under pressure Spirit-filled life shows up. I told you once before, if you're a preacher, when things are going well, people listen to you. When they're not going so well, they watch you. I know what it's like to be watched. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
And Jesus overcame Satan's temptations. In Acts 6, when the early church faced an administrative challenge that threatened to tear them apart. The Holy Spirit guided them to appoint seven spirit-filled men to oversee food distribution. And when Stephen was being stoned, full of the Holy Spirit, he had a vision of heaven. and forgave his persecutors.
It is interesting to me. That in the New Testament This is the pattern. You want to know if you're spirit filled.
Well, see what happens when you go through the next set of problems you weren't expecting. You know why you have to be spirit-filled then? Because not being spirit-filled is not sufficient to deal with the issue. You have to have the Holy Spirit help you. And then Joseph, number four, was cooperative with God's process of training.
This is one of my favorite parts of this story. Did you know that Joseph had to go through 13 years of school?
so that he could experience 80 years of ministry. Through all that training, he focused on the Lord. In slavery, in the pit, in the prison, he worked to become a strong, disciplined man of God, and there was no complaining. Simply a desire to obey the Lord and do his best.
Some people are always saying, I'm just waiting for God to open a great opportunity. But my question is, what are you doing with the opportunity you already have? Because usually what happens, God takes the opportunities we have and He turns them into great opportunities. If you're sitting by the wayside waiting for your big moment to come, you might be waiting a long time. God is looking for those who are faithful in a few things so that He can make them ruler over many things.
That's what the Bible says. And God never promotes unfaithfulness. Did you know that? Unfaithfulness never gets promoted. Consider Joseph's example.
He was faithful in Poniphar's house. He was faithful in prison. He was faithful as second in command over Egypt, and in each position, Regardless of scale, Joseph character and his actions remain consistent. If you put all this down, kind of take a long look at it across the page. What you realize is that Joseph believed in God.
all the way to the core of who he was. He believed that when the problems came, God would show up and he would show off. And God always showed off on behalf of Joseph. Robert Dick Wilson was a well-known professor at Princeton Theological Seminary. One day he attended a sermon given by one of his former students.
who had graduated 12 years earlier. After the sermon, Wilson approached his former student and he said, I am glad to see that you are a big godder. I only come once to hear my former students preach. I come to see if they're big godders or little godders. Because that tells me what kind of ministry they're going to have.
When his student asked him to explain, Robert Dick Wilson said, some people believe in a little God who can't do miracles, can't ensure the Bible's accuracy, and doesn't help his followers. I call these people little godders. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast.
He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of those that fear him. These people are big godders. And then he turned to his student and he said, You have a great God. and he will bless your ministry. He paused a moment, he smiled, and said, God bless you.
And he turned. and walked away never to return. As we end this message, I want to ask you individually this question as you think about the life of Joseph. Are you a big godder? Or a little godder.
Do you believe God can do anything? Are you convinced in your mind that nothing is too hard for Him? in the midst of your situations. That you are facing, which seems impossible to you? Do you believe that He is the God of the impossible?
Do you trust God? Do you believe in Him? Do you pray to Him to acknowledge Him? Do you wait till He's the last resort before you bring Him your problems? A person who has a big God knows he's never out of touch with a solution.
If you know God, You are always in touch with the solution to your problem. He is able to do above and beyond all that you would ever ask or think. That's what the Bible says. On the journey Learning to trust God with more and more, and realize that while you don't know what He's up to, God is working behind the scenes in your behalf. And when the time comes, God will show up and he will show off.
and he will make everything right. He's done that for me so many times. I have at least a dozen stories I could tell you. I am here to tell you that God is enough. He's enough for you.
He's enough for me. He's enough for every situation. when you put your trust in Him. you can know that all is well. He is the sovereign God of the universe, and He is the individual God of each one of us.
As we have put our trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, we become a part of His family. He's our Father, He cares for us, and we know that to be true. And we watch this. Play out in the life of this Old Testament patriarch Joseph. and we're amazed because we see the hand of God so clearly.
We're going to take a break for the weekend. When we come back, we're going to talk about God's method for melting hard hearts. You don't want to miss Monday and Tuesday. It's an intriguing story. But in the meantime, be sure to go to church.
I've been telling you that for a long time. Like a broken record, I'm sure, but It's such an important priority. Be in church on the Lord's Day. It's the one thing you can do. An outward act that you can do that will make a great deal of difference in your life going forward.
Get in the habit of never missing church. Be in church on the Lord's Day. Get back there if you've been missing it. God will use that to encourage your life. I'm David Jeremiah.
Thanks for listening. Have a great week. And we'll see you Monday. Today's message originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah, the senior pastor.
Turnpoint is also on radio and TV this weekend. To learn where to find it, visit our website davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of our new 14-month calendar, following in his footsteps, and deepen your faith daily in 2026. It's yours for a gift of any amount.
You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International and New King James Versions, available in your choice of durable and attractive cover options. If you're being encouraged by this ministry, let us know at Turning Point PO Box 3838, San Diego, California, 92163. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us Monday as we continue the series, God Meant for Good: The Story of Joseph on Turning Point.
