Joseph A Living Epistle
of Jesus Christ
Joseph A Living Epistle
of Jesus Christ
Apostle Paul wrote,
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to
be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God; not in tables of stone,
but in fleshy tables of the heart.
( 2Corinthians 3:3)
Joseph shows that he is a letter of the living
Lord God ,
written not with ink but with the
Spirit of the living God, not on tablets
of stone but on tablets of human heart.
Clearly Joseph is a letter from Christ .
The letter is written not with pen and ink ,
but with the Holy Spirit.
It is carved not in tablets of stone,
but in human heart.
Joseph shows that he is a letter from
the Lord Jesus Christ,
written not with computers but with the Holy Spirit
of the living God , not in computer tablets
but in tablets of human heart.
You are demonstrating that you are the
Messiah’s epistle ,
written not with ink but with
the Spirit of the living
God , not in tablets of stone , but in tablets
of human heart.
It is clear that you are
Christ’s epistle.
You are a letter
written not with ink but with
the Holy Spirit .
You are a letter written not
in tablets of stones
but in human heart.
You are manifestly declared
to be the epistle of Christ,
written not with ink ,
but with the Spirit of
the living of God,
not in tablets of stones
but in fleshly tablets of
the heart.
You are the living letter
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Your hearts are the substance which
God’s writing is made.
The Holy Spirit produces the love
in your heart and the mark of
love becomes the evident
to the world.
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 firs 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
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
Scriptures 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
Can we find such a one as this ,
a man in whom the
Spirit of God is ?
Joseph seek 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. Joseph 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
a city everlasting foundation.
for him.
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.
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Title: JOSEPH A LIVING EPISTLE OF
JESUS CHRIST
ISBN 13 : 978-1-928153-21-4(HTML)
Author: Anthony Ing
Publication Year: 2017