Joseph

turn your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 11 Hebrews chapter 11 we're going to continue our series titled broken in this chapter 11 is God's Hall of Fame it's all the great men and women of Faith but yet all of them in some way or another were broken people and it's encouraging to know that God can use broken people but he also puts broken lives back together as well and so we're looking at each of these lives and trying to learn from them and understand them and how they apply to our lives as well and so we're in Hebrews chap 11 and we're looking at verse number 22 today Hebrews chap 11 and verse number 22 it says by faith Joseph when he died made mention of the departing of the children of

Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones let's let's uh what we want to do is look at the life of Joseph here and talk about it there's so much in the life of Joseph that we can look at now in Hebrews chap 11 it really just tells us one little thing about his faith and that was that he asked for his bones to be taken back to the land of Israel that that's what God highlighted in Hebrews chapter 11 but I think to understand why God highlighted that we need to understand a little bit more about Joseph and where he came from so I want you to go back to Genesis chapter 37 if you would please Genesis chapter 37 and we're going to look at Joseph first of all the first thing that we learn

about Joseph is that Joseph was a spoiled brat uh we like to think of Joseph as great man of God but in many ways I think he was probably a spoiled brra now why do I think that Genesis 37 look at verse number two it says these are generations of Jacob Joseph being 17 years old was feeding the BL flock with his Brethren and a lad was with the the sons of balah and with the sons of Zila his father's wives and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report and uh so first of all he brings his parents an evil report he he kind of tattletails on his brothers and uh there is a time to let your parents know that your brother sister is doing something wrong but it's also being careful not to be a

tattletail and then we see later on here in Genesis chter 37 the dreams of Joseph and verses number 5- 11 Joseph gathers all his brothers together and tell him I dreamed a dream that basically all of you are going to bow down to me and and he did that not once but he did it twice in fact if you look at verse number 11 it says his brother Brethren envied him but his V father observed the saying and so he's telling all his brothers how that even though I'm not the oldest brother you're all going to bow down to me and and told him that dream and uh I don't think that was actually necessary to tell him we'll talk about that a little bit later on as well and then of course Jake uh Joseph's dad

gave him that coat of many colors now when we think of the coat of many colors if you grew up in church this is probably what you think about what they're going to put on the screen right now and and that is that uh that coloring sheet remember getting that that when you were in Sunday school or Junior church and you'd have the color in Joseph's coat of many colors and and that's the way we think of it but we need to understand that that in that Day coloring cloth was very very expensive it was not cheap by any means and and most of everything everybody wore was black and white and gray and brown maybe and that was about it and and to have a coat of any color showed that you were wealthy

that you were favored that you were somebody special and for Joseph to have a Coat of Many Colors also stood out now you might say well he was just wearing what his dad gave him and if you look at Genesis chapter 37 verse number three it says now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age and he made him a coat of many colors and then in verse number 18 it says and when they saw him a far off even before he came near unto them they conspired against him to slay him uh they could see him coming with that coat of many colors that stood out so much that even at a distance they could see him coming and then later on there in verses number 31 and 32 that

was of course the coat that they took and put all the blood on after they' sold him to slavery so it looked like he had been killed by a wild animal but here's here's the point is if this coat was probably worth a Year's wages it was expensive you need to understand it it was very very expensive coat why was he wearing it out in the field why was he wearing it out in the field I mean you don't wear your best coat out in the field when you're going to take care of sheep and cattle I think the reason he was wearing it is because he kind of lowered it over his brothers I think he wanted them to see hey I'm the favored son and he wore it everywhere he went just to kind of remind him of that I I

think Joseph was maybe kind of a spoiled brat and you know where that problem started with dad with Dad uh in Genesis 37:3 now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children and so he gave that coat of many colors so his dad was showing favoritism how many of you here now be honest how many of you here were the favorite child growing up come on raise your hand you were the favorite child growing up if you were the only child your hand should be up right now uh but uh some of you are the favorite Child how many of you have favored children no don't raise your hand on that one but you know uh Jacob had a favorite child out of the 12 kids he had a favored son and he spoiled him now if anybody

should have known better it was Jacob why is that because remember Jacob and Esau go back to Genesis chter 25 and look at verses 27 and 28 Genesis CH 25 and verses 27 and 28 and the boys grew and Esau was a cunning Hunter a man of the field and Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents and Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison but Rebecca loved Jacob see you see here that he grew up with that he grew up having his dad have a favorite son and his mom having a favorite son and kind of competing against each other that really caused a lot of problems in his life he had to run away from home and he was scared of his brother and you think that growing up with that he would have known

better to do the same thing with his own children but you know a lot of times we as parents just keep passing on the same problems from generation to generation to generation in Exodus chapter 34 in verse number seven it says keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin that will by and that will by no means clear the guilty visit iniquity of the fathers upon the children upon the children's children under the third and the fourth generation and I want to challenge you as parents don't keep passing on the same problems to the Next Generation don't keep passing on the same things that you had to deal with to the next generation of children as well uh you need to

change that the word iniquity here in this passage I just read means the weaknesses and and don't keep passing those weaknesses on from generation to generation and we've talked about this earlier on in this series as well and we need to change the Next Generation and part of Joseph's problem of being a spoiled brat was because of the favoritism of his father and his father should have known better now the other thing about Joseph and his being a spoiled brat is is telling his brothers the dreams you know if you have to tell people you're good then you're not good you know if you have to tell people I'm going to rule over all of you that's not the way to do it you show it by your actions not

by telling them I'm better than you and and and and look at Luke Chapter 2 if you would turn over there Luke Chapter 2 you can hold place in Genesis we're going to come back there but Luke Chapter 2 and verses 46-52 Luke Chapter 2 and beginning with verse number 46 Luke 2 and 46 and it came to pass that after three days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors both hearing them and asking them questions and all that heard him were astonished at his understanding in answers and when they saw him they were amazed and his mother said unto him son why hast thou dealt with us Behold thy father and I have sought The Sorrowing and he said unto them here how is it that she

sought me was she not that I might be must be about my father's business and they understood not the saying which he spoke unto them and he went down unto them with them and came to Nazareth was subject unto them but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor with God man you know you don't have to tell people you're good cuz people will see you're good you don't have to tell people that you're so special because people will see that you're special and I think Joseph had those dreams and he thought well I'm going to show my brothers and he kind of wanted to show them and he told them their dream now it's good to have dreams in Acts

chapter 2 and verse 17 it says so come to pass in the last day saith God I will pour out my spirit upon All Flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams you know it's good to have dreams but here's what I found is dreams often never come about we have all these dreams of what we want but we never work towards our dreams we need to have a vision where there is no vision that people perish and we need to have a vision that this is what God wants to do in my life and this is what God wants to do through my life and I think that Joseph at this point his life was a little mixed up between dreams and visions and he

had these dreams and and uh Joseph you know he was at like I said earlier was a tattletail go over to Galatians chapter 6 well I I've got it here Galatians chapter 6 bre if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted bear you one his burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ now I again I think there's times where you need to speak up if somebody's doing wrong I I think there's times where you need to go to the authority and say you know what they're doing over here but there's a difference between being a tattletail and being concerned about somebody and and caring about what's going on in

their lives and and we need to go in the spirit of meekness and I again I I kind of get the feeling I maybe I'm reading between the lines and maybe I'm reading too much in there but I kind of get the feeling that Joseph liked being the tattletail and he liked kind of lording over his brothers and he knew that because he was his dad's favorite that they couldn't do anything to him at least that's what he thought and and so he was kind of a tattletail and uh and and going to all the time telling on his brothers but you know what what did he do what did he do in Galatians chapter 6 verses three and four it says for if a man think himself to be something when he's nothing he deceives himself but

let every man prove his own work and then shall rejoice in himself alone and not in another I kind of get the feeling that when Joseph was younger he was always going around uh telling on everybody and and doing his own thing instead of doing what needed to be done don't tell me how good you are show me maybe God's giving you a dream for the future maybe God's kind of giving you something you want to do uh don't just tell me what you're going to do show me what you're going to do uh put that Vision in effect in your life and you know the problem with Joseph is he needed to Humble himself in James chapter 4 and: 10 the Bible says humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He Shall lift

you up instead of trying to say to his brothers I'm going to be above all of you I'm going to be ruling all of you you're going to bow down to Me Maybe what Joseph should have done is just kind of humbled himself gotten busy doing what's right and serving the lord and let God lift him up and so often we're concerned about ourselves rather than concerned about doing the work of God now the brothers weren't perfect either they had their own problem look at Genesis chapter 37 and look at verse number four Genesis chter 37 and verse number 4 it says when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his Brethren that they they hated him and could not speak peacefully unto him down

to verse number eight and his brothers said to him shalt thou indeed Reign Over Us or shal thou indeed have dominion over us and they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words skip down to verse number 18 and when they saw him a far off even before he came near unto them they conspired against him to slay him I mean they really hated Joseph so much so that they were want they were willing to kill him uh this is a a kind of hate that we need to be careful of in our lives look over Matthew Chapter 5 Matthew Chapter 5 and vers 21 and 22 Matthew chap 5 and veres 21 and 22 says you have heard that it was said by them of old time thou shall not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be

in danger of the Judgment but I say unto you who whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be danger of the judgment and whosoever shall say to his brother raka shall be in danger of the counsel but whosoever shall say thou fool shall be in danger of Hellfire you know sometimes we get angry with somebody and sometimes we even kind of hate somebody for the way they treat us for what they did to us or how they acted and and we've got to be careful of that when we allow that anger and that hate in our heart the God can't use that and we've got to let that go and we got to get that out of our lives and so both Joseph and his brothers had a lot of problems that they had to deal

with Joseph was kind of the spoiled brat and and God had given Joseph a dream and and it's great to have a dream it's great to have a vision for the future but Joseph forgot in that dream that it was between him and God and he kind of used it to Overlord his brothers as well you know again we need to learn how to how to live out our dreams in our lives and the lessons I think that we can learn from Joseph are not easy lessons in Genesis chapter 37 and verse number six Genesis chapter 37 I'm sorry verse number 36 it says in the mid night sold him into Egypt eypt onto potier an officer of pharaoh and a GU a captain of the Guard so they didn't kill him but they did throw him in a pit and then

they sold him to a a caravan of of slave Traders and he was taken to Egypt and sold to potier uh he went through a lot of tough times and and here it was he had this dream that God was G to lift him up and God was going to use him and yet right now that dream did not seem to be coming true God's blessings are not always easy we talk about oh how God has blessed me but the blessings of God are not always easy in Genesis chapter 39 and verses 2 and 3 Genesis CH 39 and verse number two it says the Lord was with Joseph and he was prosperous man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian and his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his

hands and so Joseph God blessed him even in slavery God blessed him and uh look at verses 21- 23 says but the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy and gave him favor in sight of The Keeper of the prison and The Keeper of the prison committed Joseph's hand to all the prisoners that were in the prison and whatsoever they did their there he was the doer of it the keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand because the Lord was with him and that which he did the Lord made it to prosper and and so again even when he went to prison a little bit later on God still blessed and he was is able to prosper even in that situation you know sometimes in life we go through hard

times and we go through times where wonder where is God in all this and what is God doing in all of this and yet God blessed Joseph now notice that the Bible says that God blessed the hands of Joseph back in verse number three and the master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand uh if you want God's blessings you need to get your hands busy in Ecclesiastes chapter 9 vers vers 10 it says whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave with us soever thou goest in Proverbs 12 and verse 24 it says the hand of the diligent shall bear rule but the slothful shall be

under tribute you see there's an old saying that uh we often hear and the saying goes like this God helps them who helps themselves right you ever heard that God helps those who help themselves now there's no Bible reference that I can find on that verse ver uh it's not it's not from the Bible there's a lot of famous sayings that we think are from the Bible but they're not but the Bible does say if you want God's blessings you can't just sit around and wait for it to happen you you need to get your hands busy Joseph could have said you know I'm a slave and had a pity party and woe is me and felt bad for himself but he said you know what if I'm going to be here I'm going to get busy and do

what's right and and Joseph could have had a pity party went he went to prison and said here I did what was right I tried to do the right thing and now I'm in prison but he didn't he got his hands busy and did what's right you know when you sit around just feeling sorry for yourself nothing's going to happen you need to get your hands busy you need to put your hand into it and get busy doing the work of the Lord now ultimately it is the grace of God it's not what we do but God's blessings the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 10 but by the grace of God I am what I am and by his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vain but I labored more abundantly than they all

yet not I but the grace of God which was with me we need to understand that in life it's not what we do that gets us the blessings of God Joseph worked hard and and as a as a as a slave of potier and he was blessed but then he lost it all and and and we need to realize that the ultimate blessings do come from God but as Paul said here says he says I know everything that's happened in my life is by the grace of God but he said I labored more abundantly than all he said I just didn't sit around waiting for God's blessings I got busy so God could bless me and and when I was ready for his blessings in my life now I'm thankful for the blessings of God and for the grace of God in Ephesians chapter

2 veres 8 and n it says for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves it's the gift of God not of Works lest any man should boast and I'm thankful that God's grace is there for my salvation and folks we need to understand that no matter what you do you cannot earn your own salvation you cannot work for your salvation it is not your religion it is not your rituals like baptism or catechism or church membership it is not your own righteousness because the Bible tells us is not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he has saved us and I'm so thankful for the grace of God and I need to understand and you need to understand that there's nothing

that I can do to earn my salvation there's nothing I can do to work for my salvation the only thing I can do is accept the the grace of God as he gives me salvation through Jesus Christ and through what he did for me upon the cross he sacrificed all so that I could have eternal life that I could have salvation and I'm so thankful for the grace of God but you know what the grace of God is not just for salvation go over to 2 Corinthians chapter 12 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and look at verses 7-10 2 Corinthians 12 and verses 7-10 2 Corinthians 12 and verse number 7 it says L I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the Revelation there was given to me a thorn in the flesh the

messenger of Satan to Buffet me lest I should be exalted above measure for this thing I besought the Lord Thrice that it might depart from me and he said unto him my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ May rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches in necessities and persecutions in distresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak then am I strong you see Paul understood that that when you're going through those difficult times when you're going through those challenging times that you need the grace of God yes you need to get out there and do

your part you need to get your hands busy and and and not sit around have a pity party not sit around just feel sorry for yourself but ultimately we understand that what's going to get me through this situation is the grace of God that's the only thing that got Joseph through his situation in life he was sold into slavery by his brothers who had threatened already to kill him he was taken to a far land and sold again to a to a man there and and and put into slavery he was able to work his way up and then he gets thrown into prison I I mean hit after hit and time after time he could have said I give up I quit I don't want to do this anymore but he understood that what would get him through

those times was the grace of God because God's grace is sufficient and no matter what you're going through right now no matter what's happening in your life right now you understand that God's grace is sufficient you see Joseph started out as a spoiled brat but he became a man of integrity go back to Genesis CH 39 go back back to Genesis CH 39 and again we're all familiar with the story how that Piper's wife uh got her eye towards Joseph and it's verse number seven it says and it came to pass after these things his master's wife Master's Wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and she said lie with me but he refused and said to his master's wife behold my master WTH not what is with me in the house

and Heath committed all that he hath to my hand there's none greater in this house than I neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee because Thou Art his wife how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God and it came to pass as she spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her to be with her to try by her or to be with her you see Joseph was a man of integrity he could have had the attitude when in Egypt do as the Egyptians do uh this was common practice back in that day but he decided I'm going to do what's right I'm going to do what my dad taught me is right and and he became a man of Integrity he understood that if he sinned this was a sin against God

and a sin against himself as well in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 in verse number 15 it says know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make the members of a harlot God forbid he said listen I'm not going to do this because it's not the right thing it's a sin against God and not only is it a sin against God but in verse number 18 of 1 Corinthians 6 it says flee fornication every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he that committs fornication sined against his own body fornication uh sexual sin is a unique sin because it affects us uniquely it affects our body it affects our emotions it affects us mentally and spiritually and

physically as well and and we need to understand that that that that sexual sin is a unique sin and and and Joseph said listen I'm not going to do this because it's a sin against God and he also understood it would be a sin against his own self as well he was a man of integrity now it's not just sexual sin uh maybe it's anger or maybe it's depression or whatever else it might be because here's the problem with sin it comes day after day after day it tells us in Genesis chapter 39 in verse number 10 uh it tells us there that it continued day after day that she didn't let up uh it came to pass she spoke to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her and that's the problem with sin you can

can say no to sin today but you know what it's going to be right back there knocking on your door tomorrow uh you can say no to sin but it's going to keep coming back and it's going to keep tempting you it's not just a one-time thing it's just not it's not just a one-time battle it's not just a one-time Victory but we've got to keep fighting that sin go over to First Peter chapter 5 1 Peter chapter 5 and look at verses 8- 11 1 Peter chapter 5 in verses 8- 11 it says be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devil is a roaring lion walketh about seeking who may he may devour whom resist steadfast in faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brothers that are in

the world but the God of all Grace who have called us onto eternal glory by Christ Jesus after they suffered a while make you perfect establish your establish strength and settle you to him be glory and Dominion forever and ever amen you see folks if you're trying to defeat sin in the power of your own flesh you may do it today you may do it tomorrow but there's going to come a day where you're going to give in because sin just keeps coming back and coming back and coming back day after day those Temptations hit you you turn on the internet and there it is you turn on the TV and there it is you you just you have to deal with it day after day after day after day after day and I'll tell you

what's going to happen you're going to get tired in the flesh you're going to get get tired of fighting you're going to just want to give in and give up and it's only by the grace of God and it's only by the power of God that you could truly defeat the temptation of sin and we need to understand that Paul understood this that the devil's just going to keep coming back and he's going to keep coming back and he's going to keep coming back and it's going to be day after day and it just doesn't go away it doesn't stop but by the grace of God we can have that Victory because God's grace is sufficient because God's grace is there to give us that Victory now we need to flee from the sin the Bible

says that Joseph uh when she reached out to grab him he ran away uh you know it's interesting what what did she leave what was left in her hand this cloak you remember that coat of many colors now this wasn't the coat of many colors but you know that kind of got left in this in her hand it's kind of ironic there but you know he he fled away from her he he said I can't stay here we need to learn to do that with sin you can't just stay there you you got to get away you got to run in 2 Timothy Chapter 2 and verse 22 it says flee also youthful lust but follow righteousness Faith charity peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart do you know why for a lot of us fleeing sin doesn't

work is because when we run away from sin we leave a forwarding address we we kind of run away from sin but we tell it I'll be over here later on we we don't flee from sin you see it's not just fleeing from sin what we got to understand is you got to follow after you got to follow after righteousness and faith and charity and peace with them that call on the lord it's not just running away from sin that's going to give you the victory folks it is running to God it is running to Grace it is running to righteousness and we need to flee sin but we need to head to that which is right go to Psalms 105 I'm teaching how to study your Bible on Wednesday nights and one of the things that I challenge

my class with is is to to mark their Bibles up to make the many your Bibles they have cross references and maybe your Bible does as well and I like to Circle those cross references when I find they're really significant or sometimes I'll write in my own cross references and next to Psalms 105 and uh verses 17-9 you might want to write in there Genesis chapter 39 uh and and all the way through to the end of Genesis really and read what it says this is talking about Joseph and it says in verse 15 saying um Genesis 105 verse 17 I'm sorry he sent a man before them even Joseph who was a was sold for a servant whose feet they hurt with vets he was laid in Iron until the time that his word came the

word of the Lord tried him you know what Joseph had to learn patience as far as we we can tell he had spent about seven years as a slave to potier and then he spent at least two or more years in prison about 10 years the total process of this time period is is amazing he had to learn a process of patience of waiting on God I I I imagine there's many times Joseph thought what is God doing I had this dream that I was going to be in a place of rulership that everybody was going to bow down to me and here I am a slave bowing down to others here I am a prisoner you had to learn patience go over to James chapter 1 James chapter 1 and look at verses 7 uh 2 through 8 James chapter 1 beginning with

verse number two the Bible says my brethren count it all joy when you fall in diverse Temptations knowing this that the try of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and tire wanting nothing if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that give it to all men Liberty and breth not it shall given him but let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavers like the wave of the sea driven with the wind and toss for let not that man think that it receive anything of the Lord a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways see we need to learn that we need to ask God for patience but understand patience comes with a lesson plan it's like

the one guy said God I want patience and I want it now it doesn't work that way and Jacob had to learn patience he had learned how to wait upon the Lord even through difficult times as we learn from the life of jasus maybe you're going Joseph we're going maybe you're going through some tough times in your life and maybe you're say where is God in all this and what is God doing and we have to realize that sometimes God is trying to teach us to have patience and learn how to wait on him but the next lesson that Joseph Learned was a lesson of forgiveness you ever heard the statement Revenge is of just best served cold well Joseph got his chance for his revenge because famine came to the land

you know the story he got out of prison he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams he was put into rulership and it was seven years of plenty where he stored up all kinds of food for the seven years of famine and when the famine came uh his brothers and his family were starving so they his dad sent the rest of his brothers except for the youngest to go to Egypt to get food and turns out that J their brother is there and he's in control of all the food and boy what a what a turnaround situation all of a sudden his dreams are coming through Bible says in Romans 12: 17-19 recompense no to no man evil for evil provide things honest in the sight of all men if it be possible as much as lith in you live

peaceably with all men dearly beloved avenge not yourselves but rather give Place unto wrath for it is written venges is mind I willay sayith the Lord I'm sure there was some point in there where Joseph was tempted to get his brothers back tempted to pay them back for what they did but he didn't do that now it is a long elaborate story and you wonder why did Joseph go to all that all that detail and all that thing of telling his brothers and talking to them you know they didn't recognize Joseph recognized them but they didn't recognize him and he started asking question questions about his dad and started asking questions about their youngest brother and and then finally he told him you're

going to have to go I'll give you some food but you're going to have to go back and next time you come for food you better bring your youngest brother with you as well and and and this whole process that he went through and I and I read that story and they said well what was the purpose of that why was that now you got to understand this is about 20 to 30 years after they sold Joseph into slavery this is when this is happening so about 20 or 30 years later and uh they're going through all this and Joseph had a right to be bitter against his brothers in Ephesians 4: 31- 32 it says let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice be kind

one to another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake and forgiven you you know I've seen people hold on to bitterness for years people that are bitter against their parents or people are bitter against an ex spouse or people are bitter against their children or their parents and and they've held on to that bitterness for years and Joseph could have done that but he didn't he forgave them now they didn't think he would forgive when he finally revealed themselves they thought oh no we're going to die but the Bible tells us that Jo Joseph had such a tender heart that at least two different times he had to leave the room because he was going to cry he had to go off by

himself to cry because he going through that now the reason I reason I think he went through this whole process he wanted to see if his brothers had really changed he wanted to make sure they really did care about family now and they they weren't going to turn around do the same thing over again to the other part of their family and you can read the story and I think you'll see that it was just him seeing if they're really changed because he hadn't seen him for 30 years but a couple times he wept and when he revealed himself to his brothers thought for sure he's going to kill us now and he see he just went over and hugged him and said no I love you and then later on when his dad died the

brothers thought again well now the dad's gone he's surely going to take his revenge and he didn't why because vengeance is mine sayith the Lord the story of Joseph reminds us this this Romans 8:28 and we know that all things work together for good to them that are that love God to them that are called according to his purpose it didn't seem so good we we have the advantage of the Sunday School stories and looking back in Joseph's life but when he was going through it being thrown into a pit having your brothers hate you so much they wanted to kill you being sold into slavery and dragged halfway across the country then to be sold to a a a slave owner in Egypt and then to be thrown in prison

that didn't all seem so good and sometimes in our lives we sometimes say God what are you doing now we can see it now and Joseph could see it go to Genesis chapter 45 Genesis chapter 45 in the end Joseph saw what God had done in Genesis 45 and veres 5-8 it says now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me hither for God did send me before you to preserve life for these two years hath the famine been in the land and yet there are five years in that which there shall neither be earring nor Harvest and God sent me before you to preserve you of posterity in the earth and to save your lives by great Deliverance he said God had a plan sometimes in life it's not easy to

look ahead and see why why is this happening but often we can look back and say that's why it happened and sometimes we have to realize that even though things don't look like they're good God is still good now back in Hebrews chapter 11 when God talked about Joseph's Faith he could have talked about a lot of things in Joseph's life but what did he talk about he said Joseph by Faith said take my bones back to Israel the promised land you remember they stuck around in Egypt for about 400 years end up becoming slaves to the Egyptians and then Moses LED them out in the Pro to the promised land and they took Joseph's bones with them and buried them back in the promised land I think what Joseph

was trying to do go back to Hebrews chapter 11 Joseph was trying to remind us that we're just passing through this life in Hebrews chap 11 verse number 13 it says these all died in the faith not having received the promises but having seen them a far off and were persuaded of them and them and confess that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth for they that say such things declare plainly they seek a country and truly if they've been mindful of that country from when they came out they might have had opportunity to return but now they desire a better country that is a Heavenly wherefore God is not ashamed he called their God for the for he had Pro prepared them for them a city you

see Joseph was reminding us that this is not our home we're just passing through he's Ry us we got something better to come and he wanted to make sure that his people didn't forget that because we tend to forget don't they the people forgot about the promised land because it was so nice in Egypt and then they end up being slaves 1 John CH 5: 12- 13 the Bible says he that hath a son hath life he that hath not the Son of God hath not life these things have I written unto you to believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life that you may believe on the name of the son of God folks there's a promise of a better place a place called heaven and in this life we

might go through some tough times and we might understand why is this happening and we might do all the right things and even be punished for that like Jacob Joseph was when he fled from Piper's wife what did he get for it thrown in prison but we have a promise of something better that's what Joseph can teach us