Part 8, Joseph

And if you’ve not already, if you’ll be finding in your copy of God’s word, the book of Genesis. The book of Genesis, part eight in our series, Great Stories, Eternal Truths. And this will be our last one in Genesis as we keep on moving through these great stories of the Bible.

Genesis chapter number 50. Genesis chapter number 50, beginning in verse 19. When you get there, if you’re able, would you stand with me as we honor God and the reading of his word? Genesis 50. Verse 19.

And now hear the word of the Lord.

Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for [am] I in the place of God?

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; [but] God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as [it is] this day, to save many people alive.

"Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

May God in his blessing to the reading, the preaching, and now your hearing to understand his holy word. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever be praised. And all of God’s people say, “Amen.” Amen. You may be seated.

Great stories and eternal truths part eight. You know there are some stories that are so vivid, so human, maybe not only human stories that are so divine that they refuse to fade away with time. Joseph’s story is one like that. Joseph and his story. Joseph and the coat of many colors. It has been painted by artists, retold by poets, studied by scholars, and yes, even sung by Elvis. Well, sort of. It was sung by me playing Elvis.

You see, more than a decade ago, and many of you were there, you knew I had to mention this. I had the unforgettable experience of playing Pharaoh. That is he’s styled as Elvis in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Linda King, they just had to be there. Right now, that musical is playful and well, it’s over the top. It is truly over the top.

But the popularity of that musical is staggering. Since it debuted in 1968, it has been performed thousands and thousands of times across the world. From London’s West End to high school gyms and church stages. It is one of the most frequently produced musicals in all of history. And there’s a reason for that.

So here I was, Pharaoh Elvis, standing there in the in the glittering gold and the rhinestones and the blue suede shoes, singing out the dream that God had given to Pharaoh for Joseph to interpret. Y’all want a little bit? I can’t do much.

Well, I was wandering along the banks of the river when seven fat cows came up by the Nile. Uhhuh. Just like that, the audience would laugh and some of them back then were rolling in the floor. The music would swing and just for a moment, the Bible’s ancient story, a story of famine and a story of faith came alive with rhythm, music, and color.

But underneath the fun, there was something profound stirring. And it stirred. And I watched this and I remember this. It stirred among all those who were in the cast and all of the instrumentalist and everybody who worked so hard on the production. But I believe it also stirred in everyone who watched the show because Joseph’s story isn’t just ancient history. Joseph’s story isn’t just clever theater. Joseph’s story is a story of God’s providence.

That word means God’s plan. Every time you hear me say providence this morning, understand it means God’s plan. The story of Joseph is about God’s providence. The story of Joseph is about a God who never loses track of his people. Amen.

Even when the world that his people are living in fall apart, God never loses track of his people. The story of Joseph takes us from a pit to a prison to a palace. But through it all, God was weaving something far greater than Joseph could ever see.

And today I want to begin where Joseph’s story ends in Genesis 50. I want to begin with those words. He said, “Do not be afraid. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

Folks, those are not the words of a man who had it easy. Go back and read the story. They’re the words of a man who learned that even when life doesn’t make sense, God still does. Amen.

So before we get into retelling the story in just a moment, before we get to Joseph’s journey from a favored son to a foreign ruler, before we get to betrayal and blessing, let me ask you at the very beginning: what dream in your life might God be using for good right now? What detour in your life might God be using for good right now? What disappointment in your life right now might God be using for his good and glory.

That’s the heart of Joseph’s story. And maybe it’s the heart of your story as well.

Let’s retell his story.

We read, “Do not be afraid,” Joseph said. And he’s standing there as he says that before his brothers, his brothers who once sold him like livestock. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring about this present result and to save many lives.”

Those words didn’t come cheap. They were paid for by Joseph with tears. They were experienced by Joseph by betrayal and years of wondering if God had even forgotten his address.

But to understand the man who spoke these words, we’ve got to go back even further way back. way back to a boy wearing a multicolored coat in a field who had a dream.

Joseph had always been a dreamer. Now, he was not lazy. I’m not talking about him being a daydreamer. Not that kind of dreamer. No, he had dreams that were different. He had dreams that felt more real. the dreams. I wonder if anyone else’s experiences. He had dreams that felt more real than the ground [Music] beneath his feet.

Dreams of sheav of wheat bowing down. Dreams of stars and sun and moon giving him honor. And he believed and he truly believed that God had planted those dreams in his heart.

But maybe maybe just maybe Joseph shared his dreams too soon because he shares those dreams to his to his brothers. He shares those dreams to his mother and father and his brothers didn’t think much about it because his brothers weren’t excited about what those dreams foretold.

So the brothers upon hearing this dream about the sheav of wheat bowing down to him and the stars bowing down to him, their eyes narrowed and their their fists clenched because they didn’t like what they were hearing. And those brothers then waited for the day. Waited for the day when they would strip off that technicol or dream coat.

And when that day came, Joseph’s world unraveled faster than the threads and the seams of that coat. Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit. He could hear their laughter above him. He could hear the scrape of the rope. He could hear the bargain of 20 pieces of silver.

And we can imagine Joseph wondering to God, “God, how how could this happen to me? I thought you had plans for me. God, I thought you were the one who gave me the dreams.”

He was sold again, this time in Egypt, this time a foreigner. This time a slave to a man named Piper. And now Pterer’s house was no palace, but Joseph still worked like it was.

Joseph worked in Pterer’s house like a man who still believed in a promise. He rose through the ranks. Joseph was, Listen, young people, listen to me. Joseph was faithful in small things. He was determined in hard things.

Even when Mrs. Piper and her temptation came came slithering through the door. Subtle, smiling, but persistent. Joseph ran from the sin.

Folks, integrity doesn’t always win you applause. Doing what is right doesn’t always get you a reward. In this case, that day his integrity earned him a prison cell. Iron bars, stone walls, forgotten promises.

How could this happen to me again, God? I did what was right. I honored you, God. I ran from sin, God, and still I’m here. What good can come from a dungeon?

and days become months and months become years. In prison, Joseph helped others. Two men with dreams of their own. But when one of them walked free and back to Pharaoh’s palace, Joseph stayed behind, waiting, waiting, waiting on his justice to come, waiting on God.

We can imagine Joseph whispered some nights, “God, I don’t understand.” Anybody else, “God, I don’t understand, but I’m not giving up.”

Then one morning, maybe it was a morning like any other, that morning, the door for Joseph’s freedom and release swung open. Pharaoh himself had had a dream and someone remembered the Hebrew dreamer who was now in prison.

Joseph is brought out and he stood before the most powerful man in the world and he spoke what God gave him to speak to the Pharaoh. And Joseph said, “The famine is coming.” Seven years of blessing, seven years of famine. You must prepare now.

And in one hour, the prisoner became the prime minister of Egypt. From the pit to the palace. Only God can turn pages like that. Amen.

Years passed by. The famine came just as God said it would. And the brothers who once betrayed Joseph now have arrived in Egypt empty-handed, empty-hearted. And they bow before Joseph not knowing, this is important, they bow before Joseph, not knowing who he was.

The dream had come true. The sheav of wheat were bowing before him. It was a victory, but it must have seemed like a a strange victory. The the kind of victory that somebody needs to hear this line right here. Sometimes God gives us a strange victory that hurts before it heals.

So, Joseph tested the brothers, not to get even, but to see if their hearts had changed. And when he finally revealed himself, the words came out between sobs and tears. Joseph cried out, “I am Joseph, the one you sold so long ago.”

And there was silence. There was shock. And there was fear. And then there was grace.

Because instead of punishment, Joseph offered forgiveness. Instead of revenge, Joseph offered redemption.

And now years later in chapter 50, standing over the graves of his father and the guilt of his brothers, Joseph spoke the truth. the truth that had shaped his entire life.

You meant it for evil. God meant it for good.

He could see it now all these years later. Every pit, every prison, every pain. Let me say it again. Every pit, every prison, every pain had been a stepping stone towards God’s greater purpose.

The dream had not died in the pit. It had been planted there, waiting for the right time to bloom.

And maybe if we could listen in on Joseph’s heart that day, we’d hear the final line of his lifelong prayer. Now, Joseph in his old age saying, “God, I still don’t understand everything, but I trust you. You were with me in the pit, God. You were with me in the prison, God. And you were with me in the palace, and you will be with me until my last breath on earth.”

Great story. Amen. Great story, but one with great truths. Too many for us to recount this morning, but a few of them.

Number one, a great truth that we see is that God’s providence, God’s providence means what? God’s God’s providence is never absent. even when his presence feels silent.

When Joseph sat in the pit, when he was in the pit, when he was chained on the road to Egypt, when the prison door slammed shut behind him, heaven didn’t go dark. God was working behind the scenes of Joseph’s pain, weaving with purpose through every thread of suffering. And he’s doing the same for you. God’s providence is never absent.

Number two, what others mean for evil, aren’t you so glad. What others mean for evil, God can redeem for eternal good.

Joseph’s story reminds us that human sin never has the final word. Amen. Not even your own sin. Human sin never has the final word. Human cruelty cannot cancel God’s compassion. And the devil may dig a pit, but God can turn a pit into a passageway for his blessing. Amen. Somebody needs to hear it today.

Number three, faithfulness isn’t proven in moments of triumph. Faithfulness is proven in seasons of testing.

Anybody can praise God when we’re sitting in the palace. But the real test of faith is whether you can still serve God when you’re a slave or serve God when you’re a prisoner or serve God when you’re in a pit. That’s the real test of faith.

Number four, the dreams God gives may be delayed. But folks, if it’s a dream that God has given, that dream will never be destroyed. The dream from God, if it’s from God, the dream may be delayed, but it is never destroyed.

When the dream seems dead, remember Joseph’s dream laid buried in years of disappointment. God gave Joseph the dream. God gave Joseph the promise decades before he saw it fulfilled. And in the ensuing years between, he was in a pit. He was in a prison. All of this in between God’s promise being fulfilled and the dream happening.

Number five, forgiveness. Forgiveness is the final proof of faith.

Joseph didn’t just interpret Joseph didn’t just interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph lived out the heart of God. To forgive those who wounded him was not Joseph’s weakness. It was Joseph’s strength. For you to live out forgiveness isn’t weak. It’s strong. It’s grace.

The pit couldn’t destroy Joseph. The prison couldn’t destroy Joseph, but bitterness and unforgiveness could have destroyed him.

Folks, what the pit could not do, what the prison could not do, what the betrayal could not do, what the oppression could not do, none of that could destroy Joseph. None of it tore him down. But betray, but his bitterness, if he had been chosen to be bitter and chosen not to forgive, it could have destroyed him. And folks, he can destroy you, too.

Joseph refused to live as a victim when God called him to be a vessel for his plan to save not only Joseph’s family from the famine, but to save all of Egypt from the famine.

Yes, there are great truths to remember.

Then how do we respond with faith? Number three, y’all excuse me in my voice this morning.

How do we respond to faith? We said that God’s providence is never absent, even when his presence feels silent. Folks, there are days when you will sit in your own kind of pit. You may be in a pit this morning, a hospital room, a lonely house all alone, a failed plan that you just knew was going to work out. And you’ll be tempted to say, “God, where are you?” But faith answers back. He’s right here working in ways that you just can’t see yet.

Romans 8:28, folks, is not just a slogan. Romans 8:28 tells us, “We know that in all things,” say all things, and we know in and we know in God works for the good of those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose. It’s not just a slogan. It’s a lifeline and it is a promise.

Teenagers, when you feel unseen, when you feel unimportant, when you feel overlooked, trust that God is writing your future. It may be an invisible ink today, but it’ll be revealed someday. Amen.

Young families, when life feels like chaos, know that even your home, your home, the four walls where you live is not outside of God’s plan. Your home, your car that you drive down the car rider line, wherever you are, it’s part of God’s plan.

older adults, when you can’t do what you once did, remember God isn’t finished using you because his providence, his plan doesn’t retire. Amen.

We said we said what others meant for evil, God can redeem for eternal good. Folks, people may wound you. They may talk about you. They may betray you. They may forget you. And that may be the worst thing. Being forgotten about is sometimes worse than being talked about. Amen.

But if you belong to God, their worst cannot defeat God’s best. Joseph said, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Folks, that’s Romans 8:31. Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” Amen.

So when someone wrongs you, don’t waste the hurt. Give it to the redeemer. Give it to God who turns graves into gardens. Amen.

We said, We said faithfulness is not proven in moments of triumph, but in seasons of testing. Joseph was faithful in the pit. Joseph was faithful in the prison. Joseph was faithful in the palace. And each one was a classroom for his faith.

Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not grow weary in welloing and doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not grow faint.” Don’t give up. Don’t quit when the spotlight dims. That’s often when God is shaping you the most. Don’t quit. Don’t give up.

We said that the dreams God gives may be delayed, but they are never destroyed. Some of you have dreams that may seem buried. A ministry that never took off. A relationship that never healed. A prayer that is still unanswered.

Remember that Joseph’s dream didn’t die in the pit. It was planted in the pit. If Joseph had never been in the pit, he would have never made it to the palace. And folks, it was planted there. What is planted isn’t dead. What is planted isn’t dead. What is planted is waiting to germinate. What is planted is waiting on a resurrection. Amen.

Hebrews 10:23 reminds us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful.”

Teenagers, don’t don’t trade God’s promises for the world’s shortcuts. Young adults, remember that delay is not denial. Maybe you’re not where you want to be right now. Maybe you’re not where you thought you would be at this point in your life. But delay is not denial. Stay the course. Your dream that God has given you isn’t dead. It’s just planted, waiting to germinate. Amen.

And senior adults, God’s promises don’t expire. His dreams for you live on.

We said that the that forgiveness is the final proof of faith. Joseph’s brothers didn’t deserve grace. They didn’t. But Joseph gave it anyway.

When you forgive, when you forgive, you’re not saying that what they did is okay. You’re not excusing their behavior. You’re saying to the person who wronged you, I forgive you, and I am refusing to let your sin poison my soul.

Ephesians 4:32, we read, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other as God in Christ forgave you. Forgiveness frees you from the dungeon. Forgiveness breaks your chains and sets you free.”

And that brings us to the heart of the story. to the conclusion to the greater Joseph. The greater Joseph is Jesus Christ.

And I’m going to ask you if you can just draw in for about four and a half more minutes. Okay? Can you do that for me? It’s hard to get all of Joseph into one sermon. I know.

I want you to draw in because Joseph points us to Jesus. Because the same God who brought Joseph out of the pit now brings sinners out of the grave. The same God who turned evil into good at the palace turn death into life at the cross. And the same forgiveness that flowed from Joseph’s lips to his brothers flows infinitely wider from the lips of Jesus on the cross when he said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Folks, every story of salv every story of salvation 4,000 years ago, 2,000 years ago, and in October 2025, every story of salvation is a story of substitution, one thing being put in the place of the other.

And in that, Joseph was a shadow of something in the Old Testament. Or rather, not of something, but of someone far greater than him.

Think about it. He was rejected by his brothers. He was sold for silver. He was falsely accused. And yet, he was lifted up to save the very ones who betrayed him. And in that, Joseph points us straight to Jesus Christ.

For Jesus also was what? Betrayed for silver, falsely accused, unjustly condemned, and sent down into the pit of death. But just as Joseph rose from the dungeon to the throne, Jesus rose from the grave to the right hand of the father. And through his suffering, he brought salvation to the world.

Joseph saved Egypt and his family from the famine. Jesus saves his people from death and hell.

When Joseph stood before the very brothers who had betrayed him, he said, “Do not be afraid. You meant it for evil. God meant it for good.” And at Calvary, Jesus, the son of God, said something even more powerful to those who had betrayed him about those who had crucified him. He said, “Father,” we could amplify it. “Father, they did all this to me, your precious son, but father, forgive them. Forgive them, Father.”

That’s substitution. That’s substitution. That is the innocent standing in the place of the guilty. That is love standing in the place of hate. That is life standing in the place of death. Every story of salvation is a story of substitution.

And your story can be too.

And here’s the second truth that brings it all home. The providence of God leads to the promise of Christ. Folks, nothing in Joseph’s life was wasted. Not the pit, not the prison, not the pain. Every step was part of God’s sovereign plan.

And the same is true for you. The providence that brought Joseph from slavery to the throne is the same providence that brought Jesus from the manger to the cross. And it’s the same providence that has brought you to this moment right now. right now.

You may have walked through betrayal. You may have walked through heartbreak. You may have gone through sin that you think disqualifies you. But God has been weaving it all together to bring you face to face with his son, the greater Joseph, Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Folks, that’s not a theory. It’s a promise. And it’s the same promise Joseph’s story was pointing to all along.

Friend, the providence of God has led you in this congregation, in this building, in this sanctuary right now, here this morning. The you are here by the providence of God. He’s led you to this moment, not by accident. You’re not here by coincidence.

You may be watching this morning on live stream. You’re not watching by coincidence. You’re watching by divine appointment. And the promise of Christ stands open before you.

The pit doesn’t have to be your ending. The prison doesn’t have to be your identity. Jesus is still saving. Jesus is still forgiving. And Jesus is still calling people to himself.

So come in a moment when we sing. Come bring your sin, bring your sorrow, bring your story, and let God rewrite your story to a story of redemption. Because when you trust in Christ, your story joins his story. And every story of salvation is a story of substitution. And the providence of God will lead you home. We’ll lead you home. Will lead you home to the promise of Jesus Christ.