The parallels between Joseph in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament are unmistakable. What does that mean for believers? Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah explains what we can learn about Christ by reflecting on the story of Joseph. It will change your appreciation for the Bible and maybe even your life.
Listen as David concludes his message, Joseph reveals his identity. And thank you for joining us today. You know, throughout the year, Turning Point is a The sponsor of several cruise events. This year, for the first time since before COVID, we have sponsored three. We have been to the Caribbean, we've been to Alaska, and we're going now to be Going to New England in just a few days.
But the next opportunity for you to join us for a conference cruise is our annual cruise to the Caribbean, which follows right after Christmas. And I'd like to just tell you a few things about that cruise. We sail on Holland America's Koiningsdam December the 27th, and we return on the 3rd of January. And we have great music, and we're on a beautiful ship. And, you know, that cruise is really special to me because that's when I kind of unwind from the Christmas holidays and get my whole spirit ready for the challenge of the new year.
And I know many people do that as well. It's a great way to end the year. And believe it or not, we spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. You can't beat that. And we'd love to have you come along.
We have a whole group of folks who've already registered, but we'd love to have you. And we'll make plenty of room for you aboard ship for this incredible cruise. Ask about it when you go to davidjeremiah.org. And now here's part two of Joseph Revealing His Identity. Look at the brothers' mouths as they drop open and stand there stunned and wondering.
Could this really, truly be Joseph? Then they realize something has shifted. in their conversation. Watch carefully. Until now.
Joseph has spoken to them through an interpreter. using Egyptian. But now in clear Hebrew they hear him say, I am Joseph. No interpreter. No Egyptian words.
Only Hebrew. Verse 5, Joseph says, But now Do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God. sent me before you to preserve life. I don't know the spiritual shape of Joseph's brothers, but I can promise you they weren't prepared for what he said.
They had no idea that these words were about to come out of Joseph's mouth. Joseph didn't rebuke his brothers. He didn't point a finger and say, Now I will get even with you for what you did to me. He was in a powerful position, and he could have done that. He didn't give them any reason to think he was angry.
Instead, he tells them not to be upset with themselves. for what they had done. And then he gives a little speech on the sovereignty of God. One of the best ones in the Bible. He told them, You worried about all this, you know what you did, but let me tell you something, brothers.
I know how this all worked out. God sent me ahead of you to preserve your life. What did Joseph mean by that? He simply meant that he hadn't been the prime minister of Egypt at that moment, Jacob's family would have starved during the famine. They would not have survived without the food that God arranged.
One of the secrets of Joseph's life. was this, listen to me, Joseph was a vertical man. Not a horizontal one. Everything about Joseph was Joseph and God. Joseph and God.
God was in everything that Joseph did. I want to show you that as just we look at this text together. One of the secrets of his life was his sensitivity to God's involvement. He was conscious of God in every experience. Remember the scene with Potiphar's wife?
When she tried to seduce him and Joseph refused, this is what he said in chapter 39 of Genesis and verse 9: How can I do this great wickedness? And sin against God. Joseph knew that if he yielded to her temptation, It would not only be a sin against Potiphar, And a sin against her, and a sin against himself, but primarily it would be a sin against God. Joseph. was a vertical man.
In that moment, it wasn't just Joseph and Potiphar's wife in that room. Joseph understood that God was there too. Then in Genesis 41, we see Joseph standing before Pharaoh. Remember, Pharaoh had those dreams and he couldn't find anybody to interpret them. And finally, they remember Joseph, and he's brought before Pharaoh, so he can do that.
And he probably could have easily said, I'm finally here. Here I'm the guy you've been looking for. I'm the dream interpreter. But that's not what he said. When Pharaoh said something to him about interpreting his dream, Joseph responded, Genesis 41, 16, it is not in me.
God will give Pharaoh an answer. Once again, Here's God right in the middle. of Joseph's life. He made God central to every part of his life. God was the reason he refused to sin.
And the one who deserved the credit when he interpreted dreams. And then in Genesis 45, As Joseph addresses his brothers, Here's God in the center again. Listen once more to Genesis 45 and verse 5. Do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me. before you to preserve life.
In verse 7. He adds, God sent me before you to preserve posterity. In verse 8, he emphasizes, it was not you who sent me here, but God. Joseph then instructs his brothers to go back to their father. And tell him all that has happened, and to say to him, verse 9.
Hurry up and go up to my father and say to him, Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me Lord. Have you noticed this in all of these verses? Joseph gives credit to God. He takes no credit to himself. In Joseph's life, God was central.
God was everything. And this is so instructive to us, is it not? In everything that's going on in our lives, God is involved. He's not a distant God. He's not a God afar off.
He's a close at hand God. He's a God in your life, walking with you and through you every day. This week, if you've walked in fellowship with God, He's been involved in your life. And God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. While we may sometimes walk away from Him, He never walks away from us.
Even in the tragedies we don't understand. He's there. And in the triumphs, we must remember not to take credit. Because it's always God. God does it.
In these passages, we see the reason. that Joseph could withstand so many challenges because he never did it alone. When he was in prison, God was with him. When he was wondering how to manage all the things that were put in his lap, as he took this new position in Egypt. He had a partner, and his partner was God, the creator of the universe.
He refused his boss's wife. and was jailed. He interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker only to be forgotten. Yet Joseph never lost sight of the fact that God was a part of his story. As Christians, We sometimes give God credit during good things.
But God is at work both in the triumphs and in the trials. And we know that. When we go through those things, I remember back almost more than 20 years ago now when I. had lymphoma cancer and had been away from the church for many weeks. And I was coming back.
for the first Sunday. And I was really worried about that because I didn't know what I was going to say. And I remember praying and asking God to help me know what to say. I can tell you right now what I said. I stood in the pulpit and before I said anything else, I said, God is enough.
And I remember saying that. I want you to say it with me. God is enough. And he is. He's enough for whatever we're going through.
He's always with us. He never leaves. When it looks like everybody else has turned their back on you and you're stuck all by yourself, or you're in a room. Late at night in the darkness, and you're feeling the emptiness of everything that's happened to you. I promise you God is there.
He never leaves us. He never forsakes us. Then I want you to notice It was a passionate revelation. This wasn't some detached objective revelation. Joseph was emotional.
The Bible says he fell on his brothers. neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him. Kissing In the Old Testament, was much different than it is today. It was the form of expressing affection.
When you met somebody and you loved that somebody, usually you pecked them on both sides of the cheek, and that was the way you said hello or said, I love you. And the Bible tells us that Joseph kissed All of his brothers. He kissed Reuben, who was as unstable as water. He kissed Simeon and Levi, the two guys who were always getting into trouble. He kissed Judah.
who first made the suggestion to sell him into slavery. And when he got to his little brother Benjamin, he didn't just kiss him. The Bible says he wept all over him. And Benjamin wept all over him. What a moment this was.
One of the most emotional moments recorded in the book of Genesis. You see, Joseph was a passionate man. It's amazing to see how many times he cried in Scripture. He wept in the pit. He wept when he was sold.
He wept when he heard his brothers talking about their sin. He wept when he asked about Benjamin.
Now he's weeping over Judah's speech. Later, we'll see Joseph weeping upon seeing his father and then weeping again at his father's funeral and weeping again when he makes the statement. to his brothers. that this was God's working. The interesting thing to me is this.
Our culture says Men Don't. Weep. It's not macho. Men don't weep. And if we do it, we do it someplace where nobody sees.
Now that's great unless you're a public person. One of the things that happened to me When I returned after my absence for cancer was I was surprised. I wasn't expecting this. I came here, I did just fine. until I started to pray.
And when I started to pray, I started to cry. And I didn't want to do that. I was embarrassed. And I told my wife, I gotta figure out so much. Maybe I just won't pray anymore until this goes away.
Every time I prayed for weeks after I returned. I was on the edge of emotion or in the middle of it. I don't understand that. I know this, serious illness tenderizes your heart. It melts you down.
to the basics. And if you don't know that You've never met anybody who's been seriously affected by illness. But I'm not here to say that we should all Weep as men. It doesn't have to be something we do. I know some guys who preach, it seems like they cry on every point.
and drill for water with every message. I don't think that's the issue. But there are moments of time when Tears are legitimate. and warranted. And we should never be ashamed of them.
Joseph. was a passionate man. Listen. He was no weakling. He was second in control in Egypt.
and his resume includes numerous times of weeping. Just as we read about Jesus who wept. And many of the people in the Bible who wept, and many Great men. and women of faith. Mm.
post-biblical days who have wept.
So that brings us now to the reconciliation of Joseph's family. And I want to just give you a couple of things about that before we close our Bibles today. When Joseph was reconciled to his brothers, Now, his brothers are going home to get his dad and bring him here, and he'll be reconciled with Jacob. One of the first things that happened was peace. Up until this time, there had been no peace.
There have been guilt. There had been a sense of wrongdoing. There'd been fear that they would be found out or that they had been found out. But when reconciliation happened, Peace happened. And then there was protection.
When they first came to To meet Joseph on that occasion. They had no idea what was going to happen, but they were living in fear. Because of the cash that ended up in their bag and the silver cup that was in Benjamin's sack. And many strange things that were happening to them. They didn't know what to think.
but they sure didn't feel protected. And then there was a sense of provision.
Now that all of this was settled, Jacob and all of his family, which was more than just his. Children and their siblings. This was the whole family, all the servants, all the cattle, they come down to Egypt and they settle in a place called Goshen, and the nation of Israel is born there. and ultimately will grow to millions of people. before they are relieved of their Egyptian bondage by Moses.
Then there's a final new sense of proximity. Notice Joseph invited his brothers to come near. He hugged them. He kissed them. After all that time apart, he wanted to be close to his family.
The fellowship and oneness those brothers experienced that day must have been something incredibly wonderful.
Now Let me ask you. to think with me for a moment about how this affects us. Because the story of Joseph is just an Old Testament story that is a picture of a New Testament truth. Joseph is a type of Christ. We learned that when we went through all of those similarities between Joseph and Jesus.
That's not accidental, that's on purpose. And so, when you read this story, and you read this particular part of the story. it's not hard to see what we should be remembering. We should remember that As we look at Joseph's story, it's not just an historical figure, but it's a reflection of something far greater. Joseph gives us a glimpse into our own relationship with Jesus.
Let me just walk through this with you quickly. Do you remember when Jesus was first revealed to you? Was it not a deeply personal moment? Because salvation is so personal. It's one-on-one with God.
You can't do it. for anybody but for yourself. Your parents, your siblings, your children cannot stand in your place, nor you and theirs. It's just you and God. When you become a Christian, it is very personal.
God becomes a part of your life. you become a follower. of Almighty God. Think of Saul on the road. to Damascus.
on his way to persecute Christians. The Lord spoke to him and Saul asked, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus. Wasn't it similarly personal?
Sometimes, when you look back over your life and realize how you've messed things up before God came to be a part of your life. and you confess your sin. been with many people who have cried over that. and ask God for forgiveness. It's also a powerful thing.
When Jesus revealed himself to you, Wasn't it accompanied by the words of forgiveness you heard him say in your heart, you're forgiven? Is there anything better than being forgiven? Is there any emotion you ever felt? better than feeling the guilt of sin lifted off of your shoulders and knowing, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah.
Joseph is a picture of what happens to us. The Bible says, therefore, having been justified by faith, We have peace with God. through our Lord Jesus Christ. And then Finally, just as with Joseph and his family, there's a proximity. When you accept Jesus into your life, he comes to dwell within you.
He becomes your constant companion. He's always there just a prayer away. And he doesn't seem afar off because he's not. The Father is in heaven. The sun is in his right hand, the Holy Spirit is living within you.
And you know that. You have instant contact with The Trinity. Because you're a Christian. And the more you know about him, the more you learn to love him, the more excited you are about the adventure that is yours because you're a child of God. A son of God, a daughter of God.
And God becomes a part of your life and He becomes a factor. Maybe before he was just a curse word, but now he's an everyday word because he lives within your heart. You see, Joseph's story is a picture. An Old Testament type of the New Testament Christ. He shows us who Jesus is.
The one who was revealed, who brings reconciliation, who calls us to be a part of his family, and now, as reconciled children of God, we can go and share that good news with others. Before we close our Bibles today, I want to share another brief story with you. that sort of collects all the threads of this drama together. This is The story of a lady who was involved with the Cornell Family Estrangement and Reconciliation Project. She wrote this.
For seven years I vanished from my mother's life. I'd catch myself holding my breath when passing her house, seeing her ghostlike figure among the roses, Then one Mother's Day something shifted. I sent my mother a simple message. If you ever need me, I am here. And two days later she called and said, I have a hole in my heart.
Now, nine months later, we share meals and stories as if those seven years. were just a pause between sentences.
Sometimes the hardest walls to break are the ones we build ourselves. And when I read that story, I want you to think about it in two ways. First of all, in a human, personal way. Who have broken relationships with people, maybe in your family or extended family. Maybe it's been six years since you talked.
or perhaps even as many years as Joseph's Time of separation. There is a way back. And God wants you to be reconciled, but you have to take some initiative. You say, well I made the last initiative. Let me tell you what I've learned.
When it comes to this, it's always your turn. You don't get to sit around and decide whose turn it is, it's your turn. If you want the separation to be ended, Don't keep score on who did the last thing. You be the one who takes the initiative and restores. That relationship.
I have numerous stories of that happening to people that I've talked to, just like I've talked to you today. It's the most wonderful thing that can ever happen in human relationship. And then secondly, I know there's some people here. You have not made peace with God. You're estrained from him.
The only way you can be reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way. He said, I am the way. I am the truth and the life. and no one comes to the Father except through me.
If you want to know God, you have to know God through Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the way to God. Do you know Jesus? If you don't know Jesus, you don't know God. And you can't know God without Jesus.
I'm not making that up, that's in the scripture.
So the question for you today is: will you be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, His Son? Will you accept Jesus as your Savior? And when you do that, You become a child of God. Amen. You know, that's the message of the gospel from the old.
all the way through to the new, The uh the gospel is Coming to God through Jesus Christ His Son, I hope you've done that. And if not, this is a good time to do it right here, wherever you are. If you're in a car, pull over to the side of the road and just take a quiet moment in the middle of this day or at the beginning or whenever you hear this program and simply ask Jesus Christ to come and take over your life and forgive your sin and give you the gift of eternal life, which He promises to all who will ask. He's never turned anyone down. You won't be the first.
He's not willing that any should perish, and you can become a Christian today. What a wonderful thing that would be if, as the result of being nudged a little bit by Joseph, you came to Jesus. I hope that will be true for you. Hey, tomorrow we're going to talk about Joseph's family reunion. When everybody gets together, it's a A great party at the end of the story.
Be sure and join us then. I'm David Jeremiah. Thanks for listening. Today's message originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah, the senior pastor.
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This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue the series God Meant It for Good: The Story of Joseph on Turning Point.
