Joseph

And Jacob lived in the land
 wherein his father was a 
 
stranger, in the land of Canaan.

Joseph , being seventeen years old ,
 was feeding the flock

 with his brothers. And the lad
 was with the sons of Bilhah

 and with the sons of Zilpah ,
 his father's wives. And
 
Joseph  brought unto his father 
their evil report. Now

 Israel loved Joseph more than
 all his children , because he

 was the son of his old age.
 And he made Joseph a coat of

 many colours. And when his
 brothers saw that their father
 
loved Joseph more than all his
 brothers, they hated him. And
 
they could not peacefully with him.

Joseph brought unto his father 
their deeds. Love covers

 multitude of sins.  The same time
 because Joseph loved his

 brothers , he had to expose
 their sins. If they were
 
permitted to go on in sin ,
 they would become more evil.

 And they would die in their sin.

They had already made the family
 name to stink among the

 inhabitants of the land .

Joseph told the truth concerning
 his brothers to his father.

Everyone that does evil hates 
the light.
Jesus said,

The world cannot hate you,
 but me it hates, because

I testify of it, that its 
 works are evil.

Joseph was not a tale-bearer.
 His purpose was not to sow

discord. Joseph was a faithful
 brother who loves his
 
brothers.

In Joseph we can see something of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The good qualities in Joseph that God approved are found

in Christ. This is because the Spirit of God was working

in Joseph's life.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers.

 And  they hated him yet more. 

And he said unto them that in his dream they were all in

the field tying up sheaven of wheat , when Joseph's sheaf

got up and stood straight. His brother's sheaves of wheat
 
formed a circle around his and bowed down to it. 

His brothers did not like the idea of Joseph reigning over

them. And they hated him yet more for his dreams and for 

his words.

Then Joseph had another dream and told his brothers .In 

his dreams he saw the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars

 bowing down to him. Joseph also told the dream to his

father . And his rebuked him, and said unto him,

what is this dream that you have dreamed ? Shall I and

your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down 

And his brothers envied him ; but his father observed the

 sayings. Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. But his

 father kept thinking about the whole matter.
ourselves to you to the earth ? 
There is a deeper meaning of their hatre and hostility and
 enmity.
And the Lord God said to the serpent in the garden of Eden.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
 between your seed and her seed.
This conflict between the children of God and the children
of the devil has been going on since then. It broke out
between Cain and Abel. And this conflict also raged around
Joseph.
One day when Joseph's brothers had gone to Schechem to take
 care of their father's flock, Jacob told Joseph to see if

his brothers were safe
 and if the flock was alright.

On arriving at Shechem, 
Joseph learned that his brothers

had moved on to Dothan.
 Were their brothers disobeying 

their father by going to Dothan ?
 They were suppose to

feed the flock at Schechem.
 What were they doing 
in Dothan ?

Were they doing something wicked ? So Joseph went after 
them and found them at Dothan.
When the brothers saw Joseph in the distance , and before
 he reached them, they plotted against him. And they decided
 to kill him.
They didn't like dreamers. They wanted to kill him, and 
cast him into some pit . Then they would explain to their
father that some evil beast had devoured him. Then they 
wanted to see what will become of his dreams.
The wicked people did not realize that it was God
who gives dreams. They were fighting against God.
And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their
hands . And he said,
 Let us not kill him.
Reuben told them to shed no blood, but to cast him into
this pit. He said this because he was planning to save
Joseph from them and to send him back to his father.
When Joseph came up to his brothers, they undressed Joseph
out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him.
And they took him , and cast him into an empty pit.
Joseph's dream  came from the lord. While his brothers
 tried to defeat it, they were themselves the instruments
accomplishing it.The Pharisees understood what Christ
said about Himself. And they determined that Christ should
not reign over them. They murdered Jesus. And by His
 crucifixion , they made way for the exaltation of the
Lord Jesus Christ they had tried to prevent.
Jesus said,
And I , if I be lifted up from the earth , will draw
all men unto me. (John 12:32)
Jesus was in the world , and the world was made by Him.
And the world knew Him not. He came unto His own , and
His own received Him not.
Joseph was betrayed by His brothers. Jesus was betrayed
by one of His own disciples. Joseph was sold for money.
Jesus was also sold for money.
while Joseph was starving in the pit , his brothers
sat down to eat bread. And they lifted their eyes and
looked. They saw a company of Ishmaelites who came from
Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and
myrrh . They were carrying them down to Egypt.
And Judah said unto his brothers,
What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal
his blood ? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites,
and let not our hand be upon him ; for he is our brother
and our flesh.

And the brothers were content. They drew and lifted up
Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And
they brought Joseph into Egypt.


IN THE HOUSE OF POTIPHAR


(GENESIS 39)

Now the Ishmaelites sold Joseph into Egypt unto Potiphar,

an officer of Pharaoh's , and captain of the guard.

And Potiphar became prosperous man because of Joseph. The
 
Lord was with Joseph and made him successful . 

The Egyptian saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that 

the Lord made all that Joseph did to prosper in his hand.

Though stripped of his coat of many colours by his 

brothers, Joseph was industrious, prompt, diligent,

 obedient, reliable. Joseph did his work, not because he

was obliged to do it, but because God has called him

to do it.

Servants , obey in all things your masters according to

the flesh ; not with eye service , as men pleaser ; but in

singleness of heart , fearing God. And whatever you do , do

it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that

 of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance;

for you serve the Lord Jesus.(Colossians 3:22-24)

 Joseph read the will of God in everything he did. 

whatsoever he did , Joseph did it heartily , as to the Lord,

and not unto men.

When his father sent him to find his brothers, Joseph had

 carried his father's instructions and did not rest until

he found them in Dothan.

Every Christian, whatever his  employment, must

serve the Lord in everything he does.If not , he is a 
 
Christian only in name, and not in spirit.

The "full time" worker for God is not only the priest, the 

minister, the pastor or the church worker. She is the nurse,

the secretary, the waitress, the teacher, the sales lady,

the cleaning lady, the doctor, the professor, the

accountant...

The nature of a person's work is always less important than

the spirit in which it is done.

Joseph is a good example
 of a full-time worker for God.

Joseph trusted the Lord 
with all his heart. Joseph did 

not rely on what he thought
 he knew. Joseph remembered the

Lord in everything he did.  

And the Lord has shown
 Joseph the right way.

A person's attitude in his
 work is very important.
 Life is an offering
 to God. You must 
serve the Lord not
 only just on Sunday,
 but every moments of 
your life. The spirit in

which you do your work
 is very important.

Let the Holy Spirit
 direct your life.
 The Holy Spirit

will tell you where
 to go and what to do .
 Then you won't

always be doing the wrong
 things your evil nature
 wants you
 to do.

Joseph walked in the Spirit.
 We can see the fruit
 of the Spirit in Joseph's
 life. The fruit of 
the spirit is love,

 joy, peace, gentleness,
 goodness, kindness, faith,

 meekness, temperance, humility,
 patience, hope, and  humbleness.

If we live in the Spirit,
 then let us walk in
 the Spirit. If the 
Holy Spirit controls our
 lives, then we shall not

 need to look for honors
 and popularity , that lead
to envy and hard feelings. 

If you wish to have
 a character that will
 give you success

 in life, there is no
 true basis for it but
 the Lord Jesus.

You must put on the
 Lord Jesus Christ. If
 you don't, your

structure will be swept
 away in the first storm.

 For other foundation can 
no man lay than that 
is laid,which is the
 Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 3:11)

Joseph built himself on 
the Lord. Joseph used
 the Lord as his foundation.
 Godliness is profitable unto
 all things,and has the
 promise of the life that
 now is, and of that

 which is to come.

The Lord made all that 
Joseph did to prosper.

The Lord blessed the 
Egypt's house for Joseph's
 sake. And the blessings 
of the Lord was upon 
all that he had in the

house, and in the field.

Potiphar was pleased with  Joseph
 and made him his personal

 servant. And it came to
 pass from that time 
Potiphar had made Joseph

overseer in his house, and
over all that he had, 
that the Lord blessed the
 Egyptians house for Joseph's sake.

And Potiphar left all 
that he had in Joseph's
 hand; and he knew not
 what he had except the
 bread which he did eat.

And Joseph was a goodly
 person, and well favoured. 
Potiphar turned over 
everything he had to 
Joseph's care and did not

concern himself with anything
 except the food he ate.

Our enemies may take and
 strip us of all our worldly 

possessions ; but they cannot
 take away our treasure that

 is  in heaven. Our enemies
 may separate us from 
our parents, relatives,

and friends and country ; 
 but they can not
 take us from the presence
 of the Lord. They 
can not take away from us

the blessings of salvation.

Joseph was greatly blessed 
even in the house 
where he was

a slave. When God is 
with us , He will make
 all we do prosperous.

The prosperity of the
wicked is the sake 
of the godly people. 

And we know that 
all things work together
 for good to them

 that love God, to them
 who are called according
 to His purpose.(Romans 8:28)

Potiphar's family was wicked.
 Here was a wicked family that
 
was blessed for the
 sake of one godly servant
 in it.Potiphar's wife 
showed that her heart 
was set to do evil.
 
She cast her eyes upon 
Joseph.And she said,

Lie with me.
(Genesis 39:7)

But Joseph refused to 
lie with her. Joseph 
resisted her advances and kept out of her way.
Potiphar had trusted Joseph . Joseph did not want to betray
 this trust. Potiphar did not have to concern himself with
anything in the house, because Joseph was there. Joseph
had been put in charge of everything that Potiphar had. He
 had committed all he had to Joseph's hand.
There was none greater in this house than Joseph . He was
 almost equal to his Egyptian master.
Neither had Potiphar kept back anything from Joseph but his
Joseph did not want to do this wickedness and sin against
 God. Joseph stood firm in his commitment to the Lord.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
And it came to pass , as she spoke to Joseph day by day,
 that he hearkened not unto her , to lie by her, or with
 her.
But one day when Joseph went into the house to do his
work, none of the servants was there. And she caught him
by his garment, saying,
Lie with me
And he left his clothes in her hand, fled, and got himself
out.
When she saw that he had left his clothes and ran out of
 house, she called her servants and claimed that Joseph had
raped her.
When Potiphar heard the words of his wife, which she spoke
to him, he was angry.
And Potiphar took Joseph , and threw him into the prison, 
a place where the king's prisoners were bound. And Joseph 
was there in  the prison.

JOSEPH THE INTERPRETER OF DREAMS

(GENESIS 40-1-23)

The Lord was with Joseph.
 And the Lord had shown

him mercy  and gave
 him favour in the
 sight of the keeper

of the prison.

And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand
all the prisoners that were in the prison.And whatsoever
 they did there he was the doer of it.
The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was
 under his hand  because the Lord was with Joseph, and that
which he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Some time later it so happened that the king of Egypt became
angry with his chief baker and his chief butter. And the
Pharaoh threw them both into the prison where Joseph was
 bound .
They spent a long time in prison. And the captain of the
guard assigned Joseph as their servant.
And they dreamed a dream both of them.
Each man had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings.
When Joseph came to them in the morning, and looked upon 
them, and saw that they were sad.

Joseph asked them why they were so sad. They told Joseph
 that they each had dreamed a dream and that there was no 
 interpreter of it.

Joseph said unto them,
Do not interpretations belong to God ? Tell me your
dreams.

Joseph gave all the
 credit and glory to
 the Lord. And the
 chief butler told his
 dream to Joseph, and 
said to
 him,
In my dream, behold,
 a vine was before me.
 And in the vine were
 three branches,
 And it was as
 though it budded.

And her blossoms shot
 forth. And the clusters thereof
 brought forth ripe grapes. And the Pharaoh's cup was in
my hand. And I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

And Joseph said unto him,

 This is the interpretation of it.
The three branches are three days. Yet within three
days shall the Pharaoh lift up your head, and restore you
unto your place. And you shall deliver Pharaoh's cup into 
his hand, after the former manner when you were his chief
butler. But please remember me when everything is going 
well for you, and please be kind enough to mention me to
 the king and help me get out of this prison. For indeed 
I was stolen away out of the land of Hebrews. And here
also I have done nothing that they should put me into
the dungeons .
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good,
he said unto Joseph,
I also was in my dream, and behold, I had three baskets
on my head. And in the uppermost basket there was of all
manner of bake meats for Pharaoh. And the birds did eat them
 out of the basket upon my head.  
And Joseph answered and said,
This is the interpretations thereof> The three baskets
 are three days. Yet within three days shall the Pharaoh
 lift up your head from off you, and shall hang you on a
 tree. And the birds shall eat your flesh from off you.
On his birthday three days later, the Pharaoh gave a 
banquet for his servants. He released his chief butler
and his chief baker and brought them before his servants.
And he restored the butler to his former position, but he
hanged the chief baker ; just as Joseph had interpreted to
them.
Yet the butler did not remember Joseph but forgot all about
him.
JOSEPH INTERPRETS PHARAOH'S DREAMS

(GENESIS 41:1-36)
After two years had passed , the king of Egypt dreamed that
he was standing by the river, when seven cows, fat and
 sleek, came up out of the river and began to feed on the
 grass. Then seven other cows came up out of the river.

They were ill favoured and lean fleshed. They were thin and

 bony. They came and stood by the other cows on the
 riverbank. And the thin cows ate up the fat cows. Then the
king woke up.

And he slept and dreamed the second time. And he saw in his

dream seven ears of corn that came up upon one stalk. They
were rank and good.
Then he saw in his dream seven thin ears of corn that were
 blasted with the east wind> And they sprung up after them.
And the seven thin ears of corn devoured the seven rank
 full ears corn. And Pharaoh awake and realized it was a
 dream.
In the morning his spirit was troubled. And he sent and
 called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men 
thereof. And the Pharaoh told them of his dreams, but there
 was none could interpret them unto the Pharaoh.
Suddenly the chief butler remembered Joseph, after having
 forgotten him for two years. He told Pharaoh of Joseph's

ability to interpret dreams.
And the king had Joseph brought out of the prison so that
 he could tell him about his dreams.
Pharaoh told him about his two dreams and Joseph was able

 to tell the king of their meaning.

Joseph gave the Lord the credit for the interpretation of

the dreams.
Joseph gave the glory to God. In spite  of his imprisonment
 and slavery Joseph improved in character and ability.
 Joseph grew in the Lord. The way in which Joseph spoke to
 the Pharaoh shows that Joseph had become now a modest man,
 giving the Lord all the glory and credit for such
 achievements he had gained. Joseph was humble before the
 Lord.
Joseph said to the Pharaoh that the two dreams mean the
same thing.
God had shown what He was going to do. God had revealed
to Pharaoh what He was going to do. The seven fat cows are
 seven years, and the seven good ears of corns are seven
years. The dreams are one.
And the seven thin and ill favoured cows that come up after
 them are seven years. And the seven empty ears of corn that
 are blasted with the east wind will be seven years of
 famine.
Joseph gave credit to God for the interpretation.
This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh. What
God is about to do He shows unto Pharaoh.
There will come seven years of great plenty through the land
of Egypt . And there shall arise after them seven years of
famine> And all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land
 of  Egypt. And the famine shall consume the land. The time
of plenty will be forgotten because the famine which
 follows will be terrible.
The repetition of Pharaoh's dreams mean that the matter is
established by God. And God will surely make it happen in 
the near future.
Joseph followed up the interpretation of the dreams with
 some good advice. Joseph suggested that the Pharaoh should
 look for a man who discreet and wise, and set him over the
land of Egypt.
Let the Pharaoh do this , and let him appoint officers over
 the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in
 the seven plenteous years.And let them gather all the food
 of those years that come, and lay up corn under the hand
of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.
And the food shall be for store to the land against the
 seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt;
that the land perish not through the famine.
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh , and in the
eyes of all his servants.
And the Pharaoh said unto his servants,
 Can we find such an one as this is, a man in whom the
Spirit of God  is ? 
Pharaoh accepted the proposals and declared that there was
 no one in Egypt better able to do the job than Joseph
 himself.
Forasmuch as God has shown Joseph all this , there is none
 so discreet and wise as him.
Joseph was filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Pharaoh knew
that they could not find a better man than Joseph, a man
who has God's Spirit in him. God has shown Joseph all this,
so it is obvious that he had greater wisdom and insight than anyone else.
Pharaoh appointed Joseph as governor over all Egypt. His 
authority was second only to the king . The king removed
from his finger the ring engraved with the royal seal and
 put it on Joseph's finger.
He put a fine linen robe on him, and placed a gold chain
around his neck. And he made him ride in the second
chariot which he had. And they cried before him,
Bow the knee.
And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah. The 

name means  The savior of the world.. There is

parallel between Joseph and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is also called the Savior of the world. After 

Joseph had been ruling and blessing Egypt, his brothers
came to him for forgiveness .So in the near future we
shall see the Jews come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith.
 So all Israel shall be saved.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ every knee shall bow,
 and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.

 JOSEPH THE RULER
(GENESIS 41-45)


Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife,
 Asenath, the daughter of 

Potipherah , priest of On.

And Joseph went out over
 all the land of Egypt.

And Joseph was thirty years
 old when he stood before

Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

And Joseph went out from
 the presence of Pharaoh,
 and went throughout all
 the land of Egypt.

And in the seven plenteous
 years the earth brought forth

by handfuls. During the 
seven years of plenty
 the land produced abundant
 crops,all of which Joseph
 collected and stored in
 the cities. In each city
 he stored the food from

 the fields around it. And
 he gathered all the food of

seven years, which were 
in the land of Egypt, and
 laid up the food in
 cities. Joseph gathered corn
 as the sand of the sea, 
very much, until he left 
numbering; for it was
 
without number. There was 
so much grain that Joseph 
stopped measuring it. 
It was like the sand 
of the sea.Before the
 years of famine came ,
 Joseph had two sons by

Asenath. Joseph named his
 first son Manasseh, because 
God has made him forgot
 his sufferings. And Joseph 
named his second son Ephraim
 because God has given
 him children in the land
 of his affliction. The
seven years of plenty 
that the land of Egypt had

enjoyed came to an end .
 And the seven years of famine

 began, just as Joseph 
had said. There was 
famine in every other
 country, but there was 
food throughout Egypt.
When the Egyptians began to be hungry, they cried out to the king for food. And Pharaoh  said unto the Egyptians,
Go unto Joseph. What he says to you, do.
And the famine was over all the face of the earth. And
 Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the 
Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of
Egypt. The famine grew worse and spread over the whole
 country , so Joseph opened all the storehouse and sold
 grain to the Egyptians.
And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to but
 corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.
 People come to Egypt from all over the world to buy grain
from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

JOSEPH'S DREAMS FULFILLED
(GENESIS 42:1-38)

When Jacob learned that
 there was grain in Egypt,
he told them to go 
to Egypt to buy grain.

Soon Joseph's brothers were
 bowing before Joseph, 
though, they had no 
idea that the Egyptian 
governor was their long

lost brother. Joseph recognized
 his brothers immediately,
 but pretended to be
 an Egyptian and spoke to
 them through an interpreter.

He spoke to them roughly 
and charged them of
 being spies. Then they
 told Joseph that they
 were twelve brothers, the

 son of one man in 
the land of Canaan and 
that the youngest brother 
was still with their father
 and one was not.

Joseph demanded , as proof
 of their honesty, that they

 bring the younger brother
 Benjamin, from Canaan to him.

Joseph first put them 
in jail , but three days 
later he allowed them 
to leave, except for 
Simeon who had to stay

in Egypt for surety.

Joseph was hard upon his
 brothers not from a
 spirit of revenge, but 
to bring them to repentance.
 The brothers were frightened 
at this turn of events. The
 brothers remembered their quilt
 concerning Joseph's disappearance.

They felt that God 
was going to punish them.
And when they found
 that their money had
 been returned in the
 sacks of corn which
 they brought, the brothers were even more upset.
The brothers came to buy corn. And they were given corn.
And every man had his money given back. Christ Jesus gives
 out supplies of blessings without money and price. The 
poorest are invited to buy without money. The gift of
 eternal life is free. The gift of our Lord's living water
 is free. Come and drink the living water.

JOSEPH , A MAN OF MERCY

Joseph recognized the Lord 
in his life. Joseph 
acknowledged the hand of
 God in every circumstance. 
Because he was keenly aware 
of God's mercy to him,
 Joseph showed mercy

and compassion in his
 dealing with his brothers.
 We should show mercy 
to others because we have
 experienced the greater
 revelation of God's love
 and mercy in forgiveness

and cleansing of all 
our sins through the Lord
 Jesus Christ. At first
 Jacob refused to let
 Benjamin go into Egypt. But

famine forced Jacob to
 give in and let his 
son go. Joseph tested 
his brothers . The tests 
calculated to give Joseph

a clear picture of their
 hearts. When they set
 out to return to Canaan
 they were pursued by 
Joseph's servants who

 charged them of the theft
 of a cup belonging to Joseph.

They were so sure of
 their innocence that they
 agreed that whosoever was 
found with the cup should
 be a slave in Egypt. 
They were extremely upset
 when they discovered that

 their money had been
 returned in their sacks 
and that, in addition, 
the precious cup was
 in Benjamin's sack.

They pleaded for Benjamin's 
release. Judah threw himself

helplessly on Joseph's 
mercy, and offered to take

Benjamin's place as a slave.

They thought that Benjamin had brought them into all this

trouble. Had they not loved him and his father, they 

would have abandoned him to his fate as a slave.

If you forgive not men their trespass , neither will

your Heavenly Father forgive you.

But they forgave the lad, showing tender love for the old,

father's sake and for the lad's sake.

Thus Joseph's object was attained. Joseph could see that

there was no hatre in their hearts and that they had
 
learned from their mistakes.

Then Joseph could not act any longer. He told all his

servants to leave the room. And there stood no man with

him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brothers.

And he wept aloud. And the Egyptians and the house of 

Pharaoh heard.
And Joseph said unto his brothers,
 I am Joseph . Is my father still alive ? 

But when his brothers heard this , they were so terrified

 that they could not speak.

This was what Joseph told his brothers.

I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now

therefore be not grieved , nor angry with yourselves, that

you sold me here. It was God who sent me ahead of you to

save people's lives This is only the second year of famine

in the land. There will be five more years in which there

will be neither plowing nor reaping . God sent me ahead of

 you to rescue you and to make sure that your descendants

survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God sent me here. God has made me the king's highest official.

 I am in charge of this whole country. I am the ruler of all

Egypt. 

Now hurry back to my father and tell him that God has made

 Joseph ruler of all Egypt and that Joseph wants you to come
 
to him without delay.

And we know that all things work together for good to them

 that love God, to them who are called according to His
 
purpose.(Romans 8:28)
So Jacob came to live with his son Joseph in Egypt. And so

many years went by. When Jacob died all was bright. So he

went to bury his father in the land of Canaan. All

the king's officials, the elders of the land of Egypt, and

 all the houses of Joseph, and all the elders of the land of

 Egypt, and all the houses of Joseph, and his brothers, and

 his father's family, all went with him. Men in chariots and

 men on horseback also went with him. It was a very great

 company.



THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN JOSEPH'S LIFE

No one can confess Jesus is Lord
 unless he is guided by

the Holy Spirit.(1 Corinthians 12:3)

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the
same Holy Spirit gives them. There are different ways of
serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different
 abilities to perform service, but the same God gives the
abilities to all for their particular service.
The Holy Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each
person for the good of all.
God has already placed Christ as the one and only 
foundation, and no other foundation can be laid.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and
 forever.(Hebrews 13:8)


Jesus is the way , the truth, and the life. No man comes

 unto the Father but by Jesus.

No man can save himself by his own works, or by his own

efforts.

As it was written , there is none righteous, no,not

one.(Romans 3:10)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God.(Romans 3:23)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but

 according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of

regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.(Titus 3:5)

Only the character of the Lord Jesus Christ will please
God.
God in His wisdom made it impossible for people to know
and find Him by means of their human brilliance and human
 cleverness. It pleases God to save those who put their 
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
For by grace you are saved through faith .And this is 
not your own doing . It is the gift of God . It is not
 because of human works, lest any man should boast. For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 2:8-10)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for , the
evidence of things not seen.(Hebrews 11:1)
It is by their faith that the people of God won God's
 approval .
How did Joseph pleased God ?
It was faith that made Joseph , when he was about to
die, speak of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt,
 and leave instructions about what should be done with
his body.(Hebrews 11:16)
But now they desire a better country, that is , a heavenly;
 wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God ; for
He has prepared for them a city.(Hebrews 11:16)
Joseph had faith in the Lord.
Joseph trusted in the Lord completely. Joseph trusted in
 the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, with all
his mind, and with all his strength .
The secret to Joseph's success in his life rests in his
faith in the Lord. Joseph had learned to trust God to
 provide for him. A person who put his trust in the Lord
can afford to hold very lightly the things of the world.Folks like Joseph love others because the Lord has loved
 them first.The Lord is their strength. It is easier for
 them to love others and forgive others.
God's word tell us that the mighty people of God in the
 Bible are ordinary people just like us.These are real
people.
God tells us that their mighty deeds were not the results
of some rare combination of personal qualities, but were
the result of their faith in God.
God wants not great men but humble and common folks who
will dare to prove the greatness of their God.
Joseph's mighty works were not the result of some rare
combination of personal qualities, but were the result of
 his faith in God.
Many people make a serious mistake in thinking that the
 mighty people of God have extraordinary qualities of
 courage, and strength of body and soul.
These mighty people of God were not any different from the
 ordinary folks, except in their faith.
What lifts them above ordinary people is that they have
 strong faith in God. They were obedient to God's call. But
 they didn't do these mighty works with their own strength.
It was God who did all these wonderful works through them.
Joseph did it not by might nor by power, but by the Holy
 Spirit.Joseph had faith in the Lord. Joseph trusted God to keep
His promise. God's words are always true and good.
Joseph went through many trials and tribulations. God puts
 us through trials so that He may develop us spiritually.
Trials are opportunities for us to bring out the special
 qualities of character of Christ in us. Fiery trials are
opportunities  for us to develop qualities of Christ's
 character.
 The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
 faith of the Son of God.(Galatians 2:20)It is not our works that God will approved. Our works is
nothing but filthy rags. Our works are useless.
God will accept only the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What does it mean ? When I became a believer by trusting
and believing completely in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 receiving Him as my Savior , a spiritual union took place
between me and the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is joined
with me. Christ is fused in my being by the help of the
Holy Spirit. And I am no longer separate from Christ.
 Christ is in me and I am in Christ.We are part of each
 other.I think His thoughts. I walk His steps. I do
His works.I breathe His breath.
The fullness of our Lord Jesus Christ dwells in me with
the help of the Holy Spirit.His righteousness is mine.
Christ is mine as I daily live by the faith in Christ.
His strength is mine , as I live, feeding on Him as my
 daily bread. I live in His faith here and now. I live by
 the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is our Lord's faith that I live in. Faith works by
love.
Joseph abides in the Lord and the Lord abides in Joseph.
And Joseph bore much fruit. Joseph knew the Lord's
 thoughts.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
 kindness, goodness, and self-control; against such there
is no law.(Galatians 5:22-23) 
Pharaoh recognized that the Spirit of God was working in
Joseph's life. And Pharaoh said
Van we find such a one as this , a man in whom the
 Spirit of God is ?
  Joseph seeked first the kingdom of God and His
 righteousness.And all these blessings were added unto
him. God has lifted Joseph from the pit , from slavery,
 from the dungeon and prison. And God has placed him as the
ruler of Egypt.
Joseph was rejected by his brothers. Jesus was rejected by
the Jews , His brothers according to the flesh.
Joseph was sold for silver to the Ishmaelites. Jesus was
 sold by Judas for silver, and then handed over to the
Gentiles.
Joseph was cast into prison. Jesus was crucified and placed
into a grave. Joseph was able to preach the gospel of
deliverance to the chief butler and prisoners in the 
dungeon. Jesus went and preached the Good News to the world.
Joseph was like a tree planted by the rivers of water that
 brings forth its fruit in its season.Its leaves did not 
wither.  And whatsoever Joseph did was prosperous.
Joseph's life was spent in a very dry and thirsty land of
 Egypt. There was not much in Egypt to nourish Joseph's 
 spiritual life, but God was fed by God.
God gave Joseph spiritual food. And Joseph bore much fruit.
Love, joy , peace, long-suffering, patience, meekness,
 goodness,self-control, all these were plenty in Joseph.
We cannot produce fruit of Spirit by any efforts of our
 own. The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in us.
We can only be fruitful by being a part of the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the giver of the living water of eternal
life.
Jesus said,
 Love your enemies , bless them that curse you, do to
 them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you and persecute you.(Matthew 5:44)
Joseph loved his enemies , blessed them that cursed him,
did good to them that hated him, and prayed for them 
which despitefully used him and persecuted him.
Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the
 kingdom of heaven.(Matthew 5:3)
Joseph was poor in spirit. Joseph recognized his poverty
in spiritual things and had allowed the Lord to meet and
 supply his needs. Joseph recognized that God is his Lord
 and King.Jjoseph trusted the Lord in everything , because
he knew that the Lord is his Savior.
Blessed are that mourn ; for they shall be comforted.
(Matthew 5:4)
They that mourn are those people who are sorrowful both
for their sin and failings and also for the evil that is
in the world and the cause of so much sufferings and misery.
Look above you and see Christ, so pure, so chaste, so
 glorious in the light in which he dresses himself as with
a white garment, and you will realize your filthy rags
and repent in dust. Look around you and see the sin of
the world.
Genuine repentance will bring comfort to the believer. Since
Christ bore the sins of every person, the comfort of full
forgiveness is available to the believer.
Joseph had godly sorrow of his own sins and the sins of the
the world. All have sinned and come short of the glory of 
God. Joseph knew the importance of forgiveness.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
 Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men
 their trespasses, neither will your Father for your
 trespasses.(Matthew 6:14-15)
When Joseph became ruler of Egypt, he did not seek revenge
against those who had wronged him. Joseph forgave Potiphar
 and his wife. Joseph also forgave his brothers who sold him
into slavery. Christ forgave those who had crucified him.
Jesus even prayed to our heavenly Father to forgive them,
 because they did not know what they were doing.
Blessed are the meek ; for they shall inherit the earth.
(Matthew 5:5)
The source of this meekness is the Lord Jesus Christ who
gives it when people submit their wills to him. The meek 
 are those who humble themselves before God, because they
 acknowledge their complete dependence upon the Lord. Joseph
 trusted only in the Lord with all his heart, with all his
 soul, with all his mind , and with all his strength.
Joseph did not rely on what he thought he knew. Joseph
 remember the Lord in everything he did. And God had shown
 Joseph the right way. Joseph was gentle in his dealings
 with others.
Joseph had learned how to love his neighbor as himself
 because this love come from God. The Lord is the pattern
to love.
The proud and arrogant people are selfish and cannot
 receive any blessing from God. The meek folks are humble
 and are willing to listen and receive the Lord.
Blessed are they which do hunger after righteousness;
for they shall be filled.(Matthew 5:6)
Only the righteousness of Christ will satisfy and please God.
Our righteousness are but filthy rags and will not be
 accepted by God.
We must thirst and hunger after the righteousness of
 Christ. The Holy Spirit will fill us with Christ's
 righteous.
Joseph did thirst and hunger after the righteous of the 
Lord. And he was filled by the Spirit of God.
To do righteous is to give what is right to the people.
To show mercy is to give to people that to which they have
no right.
Blessed are the merciful ; for they shall obtain mercy.
 (Matthew 5:7)
The merciful is not happy with evil. They pity the evil 
 doer. They pity with great compassion the evil person,
because they realize that the evil person is held captive
 by sin.
This is what Jesus felt when He bore the sin of His
 murderers in His own body on the cross and prayed for
their forgiveness.Those who put mercy into action can
 expect similar mercy from men and God.
For what measure you give will be the measure you get
back.(Luke 3:38)
Joseph was merciful unto the people who had done him wrong.
Joseph forgave Potiphar who had placed him into the prison.
Joseph forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery.
Joseph had the power  to harm them. But Joseph chose to
have mercy upon them, because he had knew the mercy of God
 in his life.
God also expects us to be like Joseph  to have mercy upon
 those who have done wrong to us.
Forgiveness is one of God's rule in the kingdom of God.
   Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they shall see
God.(Matthew 5:8)
Only the pure in heart are capable of seeing God. The heart
must be purified by the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our work is useless and of no value.Only Christ's faith
will please God. When I have Christ's faith, I am in
Christ and Christ is in me. I abide in Christ and Christ
abides in me. I think His thoughts. I walk His steps.
I do His works. I breathe His breath. The fullness of Christ
dwells in me with the help of the Holy Spirit. The 
righteousness of Christ is mine. His love is mine.His mercy
is mine. His strength is mine. Christ is mine as I daily
live by faith in Christ.
Jesus said,
I am the way, the truth , and the life. No man comes
unto the Father but by me.(John 14:6)
Only with the pure of Christ , can we see God. Our Lord's
way is a way of love.
Jesus said,
 A new command I give you.
Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men
will know that you are my disciples if you love one
another.(Matthew 5:9)
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called
the children of God.(Matt 5:9)

The pure in heart are peacemakers because they cannot rest
 satisfied that the world of people should separate from
God by sin. Their heart reach out to the sinners with
Christ's love and compassion to save them.
Joseph learned the blessedness of the pure in heart. Joseph
was filled with the Spirit of God. He put away from himself
 his own human will. Joseph allowed the will of God work in
 his life. He trusted in God completely.
Joseph walked in the Spirit of God. And he brought forth 
 much good fruit.
Since the day Adam ate of the evil fruit of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil, man has tried to decide  what 
is good and what is evil. In doing so , they tried to
live without God. The natural man tried to work out his 
own standards of right and wrong, and tried to live by them
They tried to live without God, and they died without hope. 
All human plans for salvation will fail. Their starting
 point is from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
They use their knowledge to kill and steal. They use their
knowledge to sin. And the wages of sin is death.
As followers of Christ,we are different from the
 unbelievers. We, believers , do not start from the tree of
 good and evil. We do not begin from the matter of ethical
 right or wrong. We begin from Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ
 is our beginning.
We begin from Christ because we have faith in Christ. We 
begin from Christ, the tree of life. Our faith is our
faith. Our Lord's purpose for us is life. Christ is our
way of life. As disciples of Christ our standard of living
can never be a matter of  right or wrong ,
The question for us is one of cross-bearing.
God is the judge . God is the Lord. Let God be God.Let us
be human beings. With God it is grace. No man can stand
 before  God. Man's righteousness is but filthy rags.  All
have come short of the glory of God.
for by grace are you saved through faith; and not of
yourself. It is the gift of God, not works, lest any man
should boast. (Ephesians  2:8-9)
"Right and wrong " is the road of the unbelievers . It leads
to death, because no man can justify himself with works.
Christ is the only way to life.
We are called to be perfect in love, showing forth His
 grace. We are called by God to be messengers of peace and 
love, seeking to reconcile between God and people, and
 between different people. Love unites us together in
 Christ, who is the prince of peace.

Jesus said ,

Love your enemies,
 bless them that curse you,
 do good 

to them that hated you,
 and pray for them
 which despitefully

use you, and persecuted you.(Matt 5:44)
Joseph was a peacemaker. He loved his enemies. He fed them
cursed him. He did good to them that hated him, and
persecuted him.
 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.(Matt 5:10)
The people who are persecuted for righteousness' sake suffer
because they hold on to Christ's standard of truth ,justice,
righteousness,and purity. They refuse to do evil.If we are 
to share Christ's glory, we must also share His suffering.
Jesus said,
Blessed are you , when man shall revile you , and
 persecute you , and shall say all manner of evil against
 you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice , and be exceeding glad ;
 for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they
 the prophets which were before you.(Matt 5:11-12)
Joseph was persecuted by his brothers , Potiphar and
 Potiphar's wife.
Potiphar's wife said all kind of evil things against Joseph
 falsely, because Joseph was seeking first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness.For our Lord's sake Joseph was 
thrown into a dungeon. But Joseph was not discouraged
 because he trusted in the Lord. Joseph rejoiced and was 
 exceeding glad, for he knew great was his reward in heaven.
The Lord  Jesus Christ was His reward. God did lifted
 Joseph out from the prison and placed him as the ruler of
 Egypt, the greatest nation of his time. Joseph had faith in
 his Lord.
JOSEPH REVEALS GOD'S PLAN
And we know that all things work together for good to them
 that love God, to them who are the called according to His
 purpose.Those whom God already chosen He also set apart to
 become like His Son, so that the Son would be the first 
among many brothers. And those whom God set apart , He
 called; and those he called , He put right with Himself,
 and He shared His glory with them .(Romans 8:28-30)
To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to
 be certain of the things we cannot see. For by faith the
 people of God won God's approval. Through faith we
 understand that worlds were framed by the word of God, so
 that the things which are seen were not made of things
 which
 do appear.
It is by faith that we understand that the universe was
 created by the word of God, so that what can be seen was
 made out of what cannot be seen.
No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to
 God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who
 seek Him.

It was faith that made Joseph ,
 when he was about to die,

 speak of the departure of the
 children of Israel from

 Egypt, and leave instructions about
 what should be done
 with his bones.

It was in faith that Joseph died.
 He did not received all

the things God had promised,
 but from a long way off he

saw them and welcomed them, 
and admitted openly that he was

 a foreigner and refugee on earth.
 He made it clear that he

was looking for a heavenly country.
 And God is not ashamed
 
for Joseph to call Him his God,
 because God has prepared

for him a city with everlasting
 foundation.

Although Jacob and Joseph had gained 
wealth and fame in

 Egypt ,their wishes expressed their
 faith in the promises

 God made to them and to 
their fathers.