Salt + Light Fort Worth

All right.

Morning.

Morning.

Uh, we're gonna be in Genesis chapter
40, and then a few chapters afterwards.

If you want to open your scriptures to
Genesis 40 or pull up an Apto, Genesis 40,

the words will all also be on the screen.

Uh, if we haven't gotten to meet yet,
my name's Ben and I get to serve as part

of Leadership Team of Salt and Light.

Um, thank y'all for
sharing, um, about freedom.

Yay.

All right.

Um, also, before we get in, uh, I just
wanna acknowledge, uh, so we have a

new stage up here that, uh, Matt and
James and primarily Stephan have been

building, um, over the last little bit.

It's gonna serve Fortress, it's
gonna make, uh, Gabe especially not

hit his head on the roof up here.

That kind of stuff.

It's a right size stage for this.

Uh, and also is just a, a, a
massive gift and a sacrifice.

So can we thank Stefan and
the others for doing that?

Really grateful for your generosity there.

So, um, I also love this, I was
literally gonna start, uh, the, this,

this teaching time today by talking
about things that are behind the scenes.

I love that it's not finished yet.

Like I love stuff like this
to see like, how's it held up?

What's the, what's the, the
structure kind of stuff.

You see the surface of things, and
you may not be like this, but I love

behind the scenes kind of stuff.

Documentaries.

They could be terrible
documentaries on anything.

Like I'm enthralled by them.

Uh, the concept of how things
work, I'm so intrigued by that.

Um, I have a friend's brother who
works for the Tennessee Titans, which

is a team I do not care about at all.

Um, but I was in Nashville for a
training and he took six of us who were

there for the training on like a in
depth behind the scenes stadium tour.

Like there's the one you pay for and
then there's the one we we got to go on.

And you know what?

Is a bunch of stuff that really doesn't
matter at all, smelly locker rooms.

Uh, we, we got to go on the
field, which is cool on the field.

It is right after Taylor
Swift had just played there.

And so we got to hear the story
about how this massive weather

delay and so she requested that her
cats be brought up to the stadium.

Like that was the most enthralling thing
I learned in the Tennessee Titan Stadium.

It's just stuff that doesn't
matter, but I love it.

It doesn't, I, I don't care that
it doesn't matter like the, the

behind the scenes kind of stuff.

I love stuff like that.

And it also frustrates me sometimes
when we go to the scriptures again,

you may be like me, maybe you're
holier than I am, probably you are.

Um, I really wanna know more sometimes
of god's behind the scenes work.

Like, like what's going
on in this passage?

What's going on in this, you see
this, you see the, the, the finished

product, you see this summary, but
like, like in Acts chapter, I think it's

16, uh, Paul is, is quote, forbidden
to go preach the gospel in Asia.

I'm like, how?

Like what?

What did that look like?

I can't imagine Paul walked
up to the border of Asia and

there's this like invisible force
field keeping him from entering.

It probably wasn't that.

Maybe it was just Paul
didn't have the money to go.

Maybe he was sick, but like what
was it that that kept him from?

Going to Asia.

Um, or I wonder sometimes, like,
why did God let all of Jesus's

apostles, uh, be martyred at, at
most of them a very young age?

What, what would've happened if they
hadn't been, uh, or more recently, folks

like Oswald Chambers who wrote this
great little devotional called My Utmost

for His Highest and died very young.

Or Dr.

Tim Keller, who's a, a massively
shaping force in Western evangelicalism

and a voice that was so needed.

Why did God choose to take him at a.

Again, relatively young age.

And why does God do that?

While seemingly unhealthy and domineering
Christian leaders are, are allowed to stay

alive and thrive and that kind of stuff.

And do you ever wrestle
with stuff like this?

You just go like, God,
what's, what's going on?

Um, more personally and kind of
to, to the, the story of Joseph

that we started last week.

Um, what's God up to on our bad days?

If you haven't thought about the bigger
picture, surely you've asked that

question, God, what are you up to in
this thing that I really don't like?

What are you, what are you
doing in my brokenness?

What are you doing in the
suffering I see in the world?

What are you doing in the midst of sin?

Why?

Why does God let that happen?

Anyone ever asked any of
those questions before?

Certainly all of us have.

Most of us have at least.

Um, and, and if that's you, then
the, the story of Joseph continues

to be a help for us, I hope.

Uh, and an example for us.

So, so where we were last
week, if you weren't here.

Uh, as we saw that God is present
even in life's unexpected turns.

Joseph, if you don't know this story,
uh, was his, his dad's favorite.

Uh, dad gave him gifts.

He ratted on his brothers.

Sometimes his brothers threw him in a
pit, sold him into slavery in Egypt.

And yet both Joseph and the Genesis, uh,
the author of Genesis, acknowledge God

was with him in all the ups and downs.

And so today's just gonna
build on that theme.

And the author of Genesis is gonna
point us, not just to God's presence,

but to the bold top line there.

The author's gonna point us to God's
providence even if we can't see it.

And providence is a big word.

We'll define it here in a minute,
but God's gonna point us to Genesis.

Genesis's author's gonna point us to God's
providence even when we can't see it.

Um, if you need a starting point
definition of provide providence,

it's this, that at least behind the
scenes, God is always at work for good.

Behind the scenes, God is
always at work for good.

And let's be honest, it's easy
to say that on good days, right?

Sometimes though it's easy to forget
that God's doing anything good on good

days, and we just kind of take it for
granted and don't really think about God.

But it's way easier to say God's
at work for good on what we would

define as good days than it is on
what we would define as bad days.

And my hope is that just like last week,
we'll see that if it's true that God's

always working for good in Joseph's life.

He was hated sold by his brothers
into slavery, imprisoned.

He's literally, we left him in,
in the pit of a prison last week.

If God's at work for good in Joseph's
life, then, then God, would you

help us see that you're at work
for good in our lives as well?

So what do you pray that with me?

Um, father, what do you help us trust you?

Would you help us trust that you're
working in ways for your good, for

our good, even when we can't see them?

Would use your servant Joseph, as
an example to teach us that today,

and all God's people said, amen.

All right, let's give a little bit of
a broader definition of providence.

Here's how I'm gonna
define Providence today.

There's different ways to think
about it, but providence is God's

active involvement in the world as
he guides and cares for creation.

Okay.

That's what, that's what providence means.

Um, God's active involvement in the world
as he guides and cares for creation.

And I wanna break that down
just a little bit 'cause some of

those words matter really deeply.

Um.

The first God is active.

Like that should matter to us.

There's, there's a lot of religions
and philosophies that agree that there

was some creator, but that say that
that creator kind of wound up the

world and then just kind of let it go
and step back and didn't care anymore.

That's not the God of the scriptures,
that's not the God of the Christian faith.

He didn't just plant Eden
and go, all right, good luck.

I'm moving on to some other world so that.

Lucas Films can make a whole
lot of Star Wars out there.

Like I'm, I'm, I'm actively involved
in my creation is the, is the,

the mantra that God gives us.

He's intricately engaged in both
global and personal activity.

And so God's active, he's not just active,
he's guiding global and personal activity.

And this is one of those
weird tensions to hold.

'cause God's not this, this puppeteer
as if human action doesn't matter,

as, as you see in your own life and
as you see in your social media feeds.

Not everyone follows and obeys God.

If God was puppeteering everything,
he, he would force essentially

everyone to follow and obey him.

That's, that's not the
kind of guiding that God.

Shows us in the scriptures, but
providence means that God has a plan.

God's way is best, and God is
constantly at work inviting and

guiding all of creation to the
thing that he defines as best.

Does that make sense?

God.

God rightfully has a plan.

He's the creator.

After all, we're just creation.

So he gets to define what's best, and
he's constantly at work inviting and

guiding us toward his definition of best.

And as he's guiding, as
he's actively involved.

Providence also means that God
cares for us both when we follow and

obey him, and also when we don't.

And also when we don't.

So we saw last week God cared for Joseph.

Even as Joseph was obedient, and
yet person after person around

him harmed him and hurt him.

If you've ever been harmed, if you've ever
been hurt, maybe it's just good news for

you today that God is there and God is
caring for you and he's actively involved.

Is there evil in the world?

Yes.

If God was puppeteering everything,
then that would not be true.

But even in the midst of evil and
even in the midst of brokenness,

the midst of suffering, God is,
God has made to to to be seen as

so much greater, even by contrast.

And God's way is seen as so much
more right by contrast with all

the wrong we see in the world.

So even in the evil of the world,
God is present and God cares for you.

You, that's what Providence means.

And maybe that definition's not
needed, but, but on one hand I

think it's an important foundation.

As we look into Joseph's story
to go, God is actively involved.

He's guiding and he is
caring for his creation.

And on the other hand, I think
it's, it's an important foundation

as we consider our own story.

You are created.

I am created.

All of the world is created.

God is creator.

And he's actively involved and
he's caring and is providing

for us every step of the way.

So keep that in mind as we jump in.

Last week, if you weren't here,
we left Joseph Roding in prison.

He had favor with the guards.

He was in charge of the
prison, and also he was falsely

accused and he was forgotten.

So that's the tension we left Joseph with.

So in Genesis chapter 40, I'm
gonna summarize some of it.

Joseph meets two other prisoners.

Both of them are servants of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh's the king of Egypt.

He's considered the son of the
gods, if not a God himself.

Um, and both of these servants had dreams.

Very importantly in chapter 40, verse
eight, if you wanna look at your

scriptures, Joseph attributes, the
power to interpret dreams to God.

And then as both of these servants have
dreams, Joseph interprets those dreams

because God provided interpretation.

Okay, so one dream was positive.

The cup bearer, he was
restored to his place of se.

Pharaoh one was negative.

He was a baker, he was hanged.

That's not good.

Um, and so out of order, here's
how Joseph interprets the dreams.

This is the baker.

First, the three baskets you
dreamed of are three days.

In three days, Pharaoh will
lift up your head from you.

And hang you on a tree, and the birds will
eat the flesh from you and to the cup.

Bear The three branches Vine.

Vine branches are three days.

And in three days, Pharaoh will lift up
your head and restore you to office and

you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand
as formally when you were his cup bear.

And then I want you to hear the
yearning in these next words.

Only remember me when it is well
with you, and please do me the

kindness to mention me to Pharaoh.

And so get me out of
this house, this prison.

For I was inten indeed stolen
outta the land of the Hebrews.

And here also, I have done
nothing that they should put

me into the, what's the word?

Pit.

Pit.

This is how we're theming this
month of going god's even with us in

whatever metaphorical pit you're in.

So Joseph was thrown in a pit
before he was sold into slavery.

The word for prison that he
uses in Egypt is also pit.

That's where Joseph finds himself.

So I wanna pause here and just ask.

I wanna take a risk and, and, and
actually ask if you wanna respond.

What has God provided so far in,
in these brief verses, he meets

the, the cut bearer and baker.

Uh, he is able to interpret some dreams.

He gives them some, some interpretation.

He asks for favor as the cut
bearer is released one day.

What does, what does God provide?

Little big.

Access to Pharaoh.

Access to Pharaoh?

Yeah.

Not yet, but he is going to, right?

There's a, there's a direct
connection now, a friend of a friend

kind of connection to Pharaoh that
Joseph would not have had if all

the other circumstances lined up.

That's Providence.

What else?

Imma talent is being able to interpret.

Yeah, that's right.

God gave, and, and Joseph would even
say, God gives me the interpretation.

So, so in his God-given gifts and
still and skills and awareness

of the spirit, God gives Joseph
interpretations two interpretations,

both of which play out right.

He's giving to Carol's point, he's giving
Joseph a, a potential way out of prison.

Like the cut Bear is supposed
to go Tell Pharaoh about Joseph.

That does not play out though.

As seen here on the third day, which
is Pharaoh's birthday, he made a

feast in all of his servants, uh,
for all of his servants, and lifted

up the head of the chief cupbearer
and the head of the chief baker.

Along among his servants, he restored
the chief cup bearer at his position

and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's
hand, but he hanged the chief

baker as Joseph had interpreted.

Yet the chief cupbearer
did not remember Joseph.

But forgot him.

So y'all, this is another example
of like, oh, so close and nothing.

We saw that so many times last
week in the previous chapters.

So at the moment it doesn't
look like God's caring, right?

Like if God cared, he
would help the cut bearer.

Remember at the moment, it
doesn't look like God's providing,

and I think that's one of the hardest
things about the concept of providence.

Is that we live in a world of
immediate gratification, right?

We live in a world of
immediate gratification.

Um, you know, it used to take weeks to get
a response to someone when you wrote them.

And when I say wrote them, I mean
like had to pull out a piece of paper

and some quill apparently, and like
put, put a stamp on something and

it took weeks to get stuff back.

Now, this, this week, I was on a
FaceTime call with someone in Australia,

and it's as if they're across the.

The desk from you, like
immediate gratification.

That's, that's the water we swim in.

Now, uh, this week, if you
saw, uh, a OL announced their

discontinuing dial up service.

What's that?

You remember in the, what's that?

Yeah.

Literally, most of you have no
idea what dial up service is.

In the early days of the internet
when life was in black and white, um,

it took over, I, I looked up this up
to make sure it took over a minute.

Between the time you clicked
get online and I'm being,

you know, that kind of stuff.

It took over a minute to
connect you to the internet.

Could you imagine today waiting even a
minute to get online like this is, this

is the culture that surrounds us Like a
minute seems like nothing, but man, if I

wanna get online, what's going on here?

I lived in the country, it took like
three minutes that little mice had

to run the cable to the big city.

In this world of hurry and efficiency
and full schedules and fast food, and

15 minute time slots on our calendars.

Isn't this true?

We want what we want.

We want everything we want,
and we want it when we want it.

We want it now.

That is not how providence
works in the definition.

We did not say that God's providence is
the fact that he is at our beck and call.

Every moment of every day to give us
exactly what we want and make us happy.

By our definition, every
second of our life.

That's not God's providence, but is God
active in Joseph's life, in his situation?

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's, he's showing up.

Joseph says, God is the
one actively giving me the

interpretation of this dream.

God is, God is active.

Is is God guiding Joseph?

Yeah.

God.

Put Joseph in the place he's in.

That's the hard part of
the story for us to accept.

But God put him in the place he's in so
that God could give him the relationships

that will, as Carol moved us ahead
one day, get him out of this prison.

Does God care for Joseph?

Yeah.

We saw at the end of last week he
was, he was given favor by Potiphar

and put over all of Potiphar's house.

He was given favor by the guards in
prison and put over all the prison.

God is caring for Joseph.

And all this leads to this first of
three kind of points as, as we're, as

we're thinking about God's providence,
our awareness of God's providence

starts with being patient when we don't
know what's going on behind the scenes

easy, right?

Just be patient.

Everybody loves that.

But our awareness of God's providence
means being patient when we don't know

what's going on behind the scenes.

We saw this last week where Joseph
had no idea we get the benefit of

knowing how Joseph's story's gonna end.

He didn't.

And yet he's faithfully serving,
faithfully, trusting God.

Even asking, I mean, the yearning
of, please talk to Pharaoh about

me and get me out of prison.

But even when God doesn't answer
that prayer, when when the cut bearer

forgets him, Joseph remains faithful.

And patient patience is a massive contrast
to this world of immediate gratification.

But church, in moments where we feel
lost and confused, your own experience,

if you're honest looking back and story
after story through the scriptures

and history, prove God is still at
work even when you can't see it.

That's God's care.

That's God's provision, his providence.

And that's exactly what's going
on in Joseph's life, even though

Joseph doesn't see it, even
though it's not Joseph timing.

'cause it's definitely
not Joseph's timing.

This is how Genesis 41
starts after two whole years.

So pause.

Most scholars who know things about
things, uh, say that Joseph was sold

into slavery when he was 17 years old.

And then between Potiphar's house and
prison, he spent 13 years in Egypt.

Quick math, how many years is 17 plus 13?

30, well you to be all
you back to school people.

Um, Joseph is in this pit after
pit, this roller coaster, this

ups and downs kind of world.

That's nearly half his life.

If he was sold when he was
17, he is 13 years in prison,

that's nearly half his life.

Then after two years.

Genesis 41 continues.

Pharaoh dream, I'm, I'm gonna read a lot
of this if you wanna read along with me.

Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by
the Nile and behold there came out of the

Nile seven cows, attractive and plump.

I really wanna know what an
attractive cow is just for the record.

And they fed in the reeds grass.

Uh, kids, if you are looking for
something to draw, you can draw seven

fat cows and then you're gonna draw
seven skinny cows eating the fat cows.

So there you go.

Attractive and plump, and they fed in
the reed grass and behold, seven other

cows, ugly and thin, came up outta the
Nile after them and stood by the other

cows on the bank of the Nile and the ugly
thin cows ate up the seven attractive

plump cows and in Pharaoh awoke.

And he fell asleep and
dreamed a second time.

And this time, seven ears of grain.

Plump and good were growing on one stock.

And behold, after them sprouted,
seven ears thin and blighted by the

east wind and the thin ears swallowed
up the seven plump full ears.

And Pharaoh, awoke and
behold, it had been a dream.

And so in the morning his spirit
was troubled and he sent and

called for all the magicians of
Egypt and all of its wise men.

There's some irony here.

Okay.

Pharaoh is supposed to be a God
himself, the son of the gods.

He called all the quote unquote wisest and
most magical, mystical people, and Pharaoh

told them the dreams, but there was none
who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

And then again, two years later.

Then the chief cut bearer said to Pharaoh,
I remember my offenses today when Pharaoh

was angry with his servants and put me
and the chief baker in the custody of

the house of the captain of the guard.

We dreamed on the same night.

He and I each having a dream
with his own interpretation.

And a young Hebrew was there with us,
a servant of the captive of the guard.

And when we told him, he interpreted our
dreams for us, giving an interpretation

to each man according to his dream.

And as he interpreted.

Interpreted to us.

So it came about, I was restored to my
office and the BAK was hanged, and then

Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they
brought him quickly out of the pit.

And when he had shaved himself and changed
his clothes, he went before Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I
have had a dream and there is

no one who can interpret it.

I have heard it's said of you.

That when you hear a dream,
you can interpret it.

And Joseph answered, Pharaoh, of course,
my God, that's exactly what's happened.

No, no, no.

Joseph said to Pharaoh, it is not me.

God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.

All right, and then as with the cup
bearer, as with the baker, Joseph

rightly interprets Pharaoh's dreams.

Ask again.

What is God providing?

Okay.

How is God active?

What is God giving to get
Joseph to this moment?

What do you see?

He sent Pharaoh a bad dream.

He sent Pharaoh a dream.

Yeah.

What else?

He kept the magicians and the wise
men from being able to interpret it.

Yeah, that's right.

I wrote down like 10 things.

I did not write that down.

Yeah.

He kept the, the magicians and the
wise men to, unable to interpret that.

Yeah.

Is that anti providence?

I don't know how that works.

It feels I'm doing some mental gymnastics.

Yeah.

Anything else he gave, he gave
Joseph the interpretation.

There's number one, just like he already
had, and again, whether we like it or not.

Number two, God put Joseph in Egypt.

Number three, let Joseph be imprisoned.

Where?

Number four, he had met the cut bearer.

Who forgot Joseph for two years.

But then number five, who, who God
restored to his position and who?

Six recalled Joseph at the
exact right moment after seven.

To Matt's point, God gave Pharaoh
a dream that reminded the cut

bearer of eight, his own dream.

And that's a minimum.

Like, like God is so actively,
God is so clearly at work and

there's, there's so much more.

Israelites were despised by Egyptians.

They were considered hairy and gross
and, and all sorts of other derogatory

things, and yet God saw fit to have
Pharaoh bring Joseph out of the

disdain to stand before the king.

God gave Joseph boldness.

To say No, Pharaoh,
nobody said no to Pharaoh.

So the right response to I've heard
you can interpret dreams is, yes, sir.

Whatever you say, sir.

And Joseph said, no, it's not
me who can interpret dreams.

It's God who can interpret dreams,
who thinks he's God at the moment.

Like Joseph could be setting
himself up for immediate execution.

There is no God but me is
what Pharaoh could say.

Take him away like God
is all over this story.

Now, is it possible to explain
every one of those little moments

of grace and providence away?

Absolutely.

You could, you could label
each one as just happenstance,

coincidence, circumstance.

Sure.

That's, and, and part of our,
our imperial logical western

scientific minds want to do that.

But y'all, as recent as like the 19th
century, there was little division.

Between logic and what you can
prove on one hand in most human

cultures and spirituality and faith.

On the other hand, for most
of history, those two things

were not seen as contradictory.

They were not seen as either or they
were seen as a both, and like the

science, the provable, the logic, that's,
that's how spiritual things came to be.

And so did God stop Paul
from preaching in Asia?

Or was Paul perhaps just out of money or
sick and couldn't go for most of history?

You know what the answer is?

Yes.

Both of those things are
true at the same time.

It's a both and it was God's active
guidance and care through life's

very normal looking circumstances.

Does that make sense?

Was it God or cancer that
took Tim Keller's life?

At age 72 for most of history
and most societies, the answer

would be, yeah, it's both.

And God governs creation is actively
involved in shaping every day of every

human life and every life on earth.

And also that earth is broken and our
bodies are broken and suffering in sin

happen and have since Genesis three, it's.

It's both,

and so a second.

A second point, as we consider God's
providence is to say that our awareness

of his providence, as we've said, starts
with being patient when we don't know

what's going on behind the scenes.

But it also starts with giving God
credit for every good situation and

trusting God in every hard situation,

giving God credit for
every good situation.

And trusting God in every hard
situation that stands in direct

contrast and opposition with
our world of logic and proof.

And if I do something, it's by
my power that I achieved it or

someone else gave me something
good or someone else did bad to me.

Scripture will even tell us our,
our argument, our, our battle

is not against flesh and blood.

It's against the, the, the deeper
spiritual realities in both the good

and bad, even if we can explain it away.

Faith says underneath whatever
circumstance it is, God is at work.

To summarize, the author of Hebrews
says that faith is believing in

what we can't see and as it relates
to Providence, faith is trusting.

God is at work literally all the
time in literally everything.

Do you believe that?

And this is why I love the story
of Joseph, the author of Genesis,

is writing this story hopefully
in a way that you can see and

embrace God's providence to Joseph.

You can't help but see God
being actively at work.

You can't help but see God's care
and, and exactly in God's timing.

God giving exactly what Joseph needs.

In the rest of Chapter 41 and the
following chapters, um, God has been

working and providing for Joseph.

Now, God's gonna turn his work
and actively provide and work and

care for others through Joseph.

It's gonna be really fast in this, but
Chapter 41, God's gonna care for and

provide for Pharaoh by first giving him
the interpretation of a dream, and then

second, by giving him a wise manager.

To lead Egypt right alongside Pharaoh,
and that manager's name is Joseph.

So here's how it says God has shown.

This is pH uh Joseph
explaining Pharaoh's dream.

God has shown Pharaoh what he's
about to do, what God's about to do.

They'll become seven years of
great plenty throughout all the

land of Egypt, but after them
will arise, seven years of famine.

And all the plenty will be
forgotten in the land of Egypt.

And skipping a little bit.

And the doubling of Pharaoh's dream means
this thing is fixed by God and God's going

to bring it out, bring it about shortly.

Now therefore, let Pharaoh select
a discerning and a wise man and

set him over the land of Egypt.

And you know how Pharaoh responds.

Since God has shown you all this,
there is none so discerning in my mind.

I like picture him giving like side eyes
to his wise men and magicians over here.

Like looking at Joseph and
kind of talking against them.

There's none so discerning
and wise as you are Joseph.

You shall be over my house
and all the people shall order

themselves as you command.

And then y'all, what a great ending
to this part of Joseph's story.

Only as regards to the
throne in all of Egypt.

He'll say in the next verse, will
I, Pharaoh will greater than you.

That's good news.

God cares for Joseph and provides
for Joseph and through Joseph.

God cares for and provides for Pharaoh,
but God's not done through Joseph's

God-given skills and wisdom God's
gonna care for and provide for Egypt.

In seven years of famine.

So during the seven years of Plenty,
the earth produced abundantly

and Joseph gathered up the food.

And during those seven years, which
occurred in the land of Egypt, put the

food in the cities, he put in every
city food from the fields around it.

And Joseph stored up grain in great
abundance like the sand of the sea.

I love this next phrase.

Until he ceased to measure it
for, it could not be measured.

It's a lot of food.

And when all the land of Egypt
was famished, the people cried out

to Pharaoh for bread and Pharaoh
said to all the Egyptians, go to

Joseph, and whatever he says, do.

So when the famine had spread over all the
land, Joseph opened all the storehouses

and sold to the Egyptians for the famine,
was very severe in the land of Egypt.

God provided for Joseph.

God provided for Pharaoh.

God provided for Egypt.

But wait, there's more.

God didn't just provide
for Egypt through Joseph.

When the land of Egypt was
famished, I already read that part.

Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt
to Joseph to buy grain because the

famine was severe over all the Earth.

Now, all the earth, when we think about
it in 2025, means all seven continents.

This kind of stuff.

The author of Genesis is limited.

He's talking about the ancient near
East, kind of the known world there.

But the point is God didn't
just provide for Joseph or just

for Pharaoh, or just for Egypt.

God, through all the
circumstances of Joseph's life.

Provided a very real physical
sustenance and salvation for

the known world around Egypt.

And if you don't know the story, guess
who's part of that broader world?

Who came seeking food and
sustenance from Egypt?

Anyone know

when Jacob Jacob's an old man?

Last we saw him, he was distraught
over the loss of his son.

When Jacob learned there was grain for
sale in the land of Egypt, he said to

his sons, why do you look at one another?

And he said, behold, I've heard
there's grain for sale in Egypt.

Go down and buy grain for us there
that we may live and not die.

So 10 of Joseph's brothers went down
to buy grain in Egypt, but Jacob

did not send Benjamin, Joseph's
brother with his brothers for He

feared that harm might happen to him.

Thus the Sons of Israel.

Another name for Jacob came to buy.

Among the others who came for the famine
for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

And then I put this on another slide
'cause it's very important now.

Joseph was governor of the land.

He was the one who sold to all the
people of the land, just in case

he forgot the rest of the story.

The author wants to make sure
you know that because Joseph's

brothers came and what.

Bow bowed themselves before him
with their faces to the ground.

What did we see last week?

What started this whole messy tale?

Joseph told his brothers.

I have had not one, but two
dreams, which again, like Pharaoh.

Pharaoh gave two.

God gave Pharaoh two dreams to
say this will for sure come true.

Who else had two dreams, Joseph?

30 years prior?

Had two dreams

30 years later in care
and providence for Joseph.

God's fulfilling Joseph's boyhood dreams.

His family is bowing down to them.

They'll do it again in chapter 43.

And through these two chapters that follow
and through lots of dialogue, Joseph tests

his brothers and finds that in even more
care and providence, God has matured them.

We said this last week, Genesis shows
like redemption, story after redemption

story, and Joseph's brothers, even as
the author, tells Joseph's own story

and today's story finishes with one of
God's greatest act of care and provision.

And that he reunites Joseph's
estranged family and cares for them

and provides for them through Joseph.

Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph.

Is my father still alive?

But his brothers could not answer him
for, they were dismayed at his presence.

Every Bible translation
says something different.

Terrified, afraid.

I mean, there's a lot of things that
his brothers are rightly feeling.

'cause Who's this guy?

Oh, last time we saw him.

Oh.

Bad word.

That's not good.

But he fell upon his brother Benjamin's
neck and wept, and Benjamin wept

on his neck and he kissed all of
his brothers and wept on them.

And after that, his
brothers talked with him.

And then Pharaoh said to Joseph, say
to your brothers, do this, load your

beasts and go back to the land of
Canaan and take your father and your

households and come to me and I will
give you the best of the land of Egypt

and you shall eat the fat of the land.

Skipping a bit.

You have no concern.

You need to have no
concern for your goods.

For the best of all, the land of Egypt
is yours, and if last week ended on

a low note today ends on a massively
high note because God continues

to provide for and care for every
person in this story, including good

old Jacob whose biggest role so far
has been massive grief and despair.

They went outta the land of Egypt, his
brothers did, and came to the land of

Canaan to their father Jacob, and they
told him Joseph is still alive and

he's ruler over all the land of Egypt.

And his heart became numb
for, he did not believe them.

What happened?

Basically had a heart attack.

But when they told him all the words
of Joseph, which he had said to them,

and when he saw that the wagons,
and when he saw the wagons Joseph

had sent to carry him, the spirit
of their father, Jacob revived.

It means like he was given new life.

And Israel said, it is enough.

Joseph, my son is still alive.

I will go see him before I die.

Is that good news?

So much care.

So much provision.

There's a lot that we're covering.

There's a lot we're even leaving out.

But also if you're familiar
with the Bible, you, you know,

this story's not over yet.

A, we have one more week in Genesis,

but you also know that centuries later.

Pharaoh's kind invitation for Israel
to come live in the, the best land of

Egypt is gonna mean that Israel ends
up being slaves in the land of Egypt.

And so there's this massive
high we're ending on today, but

that's not the end of the story.

There's gonna be another low.

But in that low, guess what?

God is active.

God is caring.

God is guiding and God's gonna provide
for his people again 'cause he's gonna

send this man named Moses to save
them and bring them out of Egypt.

Because on and on our pits go and on and
on our mountaintops go and on and on.

This rollercoaster and these
ups and downs, that's life.

And through it all, church,
God is always at work.

I wanna say it again 'cause it
feels hard to believe sometimes.

God is always at work.

Often it's behind the scenes
and we can't see it always.

It's in God's timing, not ours,
which is often longer than we'd

like it to be, but God's providence
is real even if we can't see it.

And so again, for us, the, the
invitation today might be patience

for you, it might be patience.

It might be enduring in prayer and
asking God to help you trust him

when you don't know what's going on.

Or as we've said, it might be giving
God credit for the things you like, good

things in your life, and trusting God
for the things you don't, rather than

just explaining it away as circumstances.

Or maybe the invitation is this third
awareness of God's providence, which

is looking back and acknowledging God's
faithfulness and care in your life so far.

Here's what I mean by that.

I'm, I'm sure for each one of us,
there are things that just happened

that, that we didn't give any
thought to God's involvement in.

Is that fair?

Like this has gotta be all of us.

And, and so maybe some of us, it's, it's,
it's reflecting, looking back and going

like, oh God, God was working in that.

Maybe I didn't see it at the time.

Maybe I, maybe I still don't see it, but,
but is God, is God working in this moment?

Did God give me that thing?

I didn't earn it.

Someone wasn't generous.

Was it, was it actually God or
was he there in my pit of despair?

And, and realizing that may lead to
confession, which is not a bad thing.

It's a joy to get to say, God, I
was, I was, I was wrong in this.

I missed this.

And it might lead us to Thanksgiving.

Maybe that's the
invitation God has for you.

We'll give you a moment to, to just ask
the Lord here before we sing again, but

maybe, maybe that's your question to God.

What do you have for me in this,
in this realm of providence?