1 00:00:30,739 --> 00:00:36,699 Amen. Appreciate that song tonight. Appreciate the instrumentation. 2 00:00:36,699 --> 00:00:44,019 Amen. So I guess when you're playing the violin in that particular 3 00:00:44,339 --> 00:00:48,739 song, you have to call it a fiddle, right? Yes. All right, it's 4 00:00:48,739 --> 00:00:53,699 a fiddle. Yes. Just want to make sure I had my. My instruments 5 00:00:53,699 --> 00:00:57,549 correct. You put in your Bibles. Turn to Genesis, chapter 6 00:00:58,909 --> 00:01:12,509 37. Genesis 37. I want to tell on myself if anybody finds a yellow 7 00:01:12,509 --> 00:01:16,389 piece of paper that looks like this. This is still old school. I 8 00:01:16,389 --> 00:01:20,109 still write all my messages old school, handwritten in pencil. 9 00:01:21,239 --> 00:01:28,799 It should say Joseph at the top, number one. I don't believe 10 00:01:28,799 --> 00:01:32,759 I asked my wife. I don't. I don't believe that I've ever lost 11 00:01:33,399 --> 00:01:39,159 a message before. I do not remember a time. I promise. I don't 12 00:01:39,159 --> 00:01:44,439 remember a time that I've lost one of my written messages. I don't. 13 00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:48,249 I would pay, honestly, I would. You know what I had to do, 14 00:01:48,729 --> 00:01:52,529 and I could have gone back and, you know, I kind of do. My sermons 15 00:01:52,529 --> 00:01:55,649 are more like a research paper to start out with. You know, you 16 00:01:55,649 --> 00:01:58,649 kind of go through and. So I could have done some. But what I 17 00:01:58,649 --> 00:02:01,089 had to do, what I really did was I went back and listened to myself 18 00:02:01,089 --> 00:02:03,409 from last Wednesday, which is terrible, because if you listen to 19 00:02:03,409 --> 00:02:07,049 yourself, it's like grading the. You know, against a chalkboard. 20 00:02:07,529 --> 00:02:10,409 I went back and listened to myself so I could kind of listen 21 00:02:10,409 --> 00:02:17,679 to what my notes were. And I love those notes. I worked hard on 22 00:02:17,679 --> 00:02:23,199 those notes. There's many hours in those notes. So again, the 23 00:02:23,199 --> 00:02:26,519 bounty, Brother John. I don't know. I'd probably pay. I mean, I 24 00:02:26,519 --> 00:02:29,799 would pay $50 right now if I knew where it was at to anybody. 25 00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:34,559 I mean, it might even be a little more than that. To me, they're 26 00:02:34,559 --> 00:02:38,119 worth that. But find a little yellow piece of paper somewhere here 27 00:02:38,119 --> 00:02:44,099 in the church building. Anyway, besides that, it's great. 28 00:02:44,099 --> 00:02:49,419 Here we go. Joseph. And again, I preached on Joseph several years 29 00:02:49,419 --> 00:02:53,419 back. It's been almost 10 years, and we've touched on him many 30 00:02:53,419 --> 00:02:57,939 times since then. But I am going back and really flushing it 31 00:02:57,939 --> 00:03:02,859 out and taking some more time and bringing out specific examples 32 00:03:02,939 --> 00:03:08,209 of things that apply to us now in the life of Joseph. So a little 33 00:03:08,209 --> 00:03:12,609 more intricate, a little more detailed when it comes to the life 34 00:03:12,609 --> 00:03:17,089 of Joseph and those things in particular that stand out, that apply 35 00:03:17,089 --> 00:03:21,249 to us. So let's look at Genesis, chapter 37, and let's begin 36 00:03:21,249 --> 00:03:26,169 reading. And we'll begin reading in verse 11. And his brethren 37 00:03:26,169 --> 00:03:30,409 envied him. But his father observed the saying. So remember, 38 00:03:30,409 --> 00:03:34,979 he had had two dreams. So his brothers envied him. They hated him. 39 00:03:35,299 --> 00:03:38,859 But his father, it says, observed the saying. In other words, 40 00:03:38,859 --> 00:03:42,139 observed the dreams and what they had to say. Verse 12. And his 41 00:03:42,139 --> 00:03:46,419 brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel 42 00:03:46,419 --> 00:03:50,499 said unto Joseph, do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? 43 00:03:50,899 --> 00:03:55,379 Come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, here 44 00:03:55,459 --> 00:04:00,509 am I. And he said to him, go, I pray thee, see whether it be well 45 00:04:00,509 --> 00:04:04,229 with thy brethren and well with the flocks. And bring me word 46 00:04:04,229 --> 00:04:09,389 again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron. And he came to 47 00:04:09,389 --> 00:04:14,509 Shechem. And a certain man found him. And behold, he was wandering 48 00:04:14,509 --> 00:04:18,509 in the field. And the man asked him, saying, what seekest thou? 49 00:04:18,909 --> 00:04:22,789 And he said, I seek my brethren. Tell me, I pray thee, where 50 00:04:22,789 --> 00:04:26,909 they feed their flocks? And the man said, they are departed hence. 51 00:04:26,909 --> 00:04:31,929 For I heard them say, let us go up to Dothan. And Joseph went 52 00:04:31,929 --> 00:04:37,929 after his brethren and found them in Dothan. And when they saw 53 00:04:37,929 --> 00:04:42,729 him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired 54 00:04:42,729 --> 00:04:47,489 against him to slay him. And they said one to another, behold, 55 00:04:47,969 --> 00:04:52,929 this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him. And 56 00:04:52,929 --> 00:04:57,729 cast him into some pit. And we will say some evil beast hath devoured 57 00:04:57,729 --> 00:05:03,369 him. And notice this saying again. And we shall see what would 58 00:05:03,369 --> 00:05:08,649 become of his dreams. And Reuben heard it and delivered him 59 00:05:08,649 --> 00:05:12,329 out of their hands. And said, let us not kill him. And Reuben said 60 00:05:12,329 --> 00:05:16,289 unto them, shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in 61 00:05:16,289 --> 00:05:19,929 the wilderness. And lay no hand upon him. That he might rid 62 00:05:19,929 --> 00:05:23,879 him out of their hands to deliver him to his father again. 63 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,679 So Reuben was looking out for him. Reuben, the oldest son. And 64 00:05:27,679 --> 00:05:30,879 it came to pass when Joseph was come into his brethren. That 65 00:05:30,879 --> 00:05:34,199 they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors 66 00:05:34,439 --> 00:05:38,159 that was on him. And they took him and cast him into a pit. And 67 00:05:38,159 --> 00:05:41,639 the pit was empty. There was no water in it. And they sat down 68 00:05:41,639 --> 00:05:45,239 to eat bread. And they lifted up their eyes and looked. And behold, 69 00:05:45,239 --> 00:05:49,559 a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing 70 00:05:49,559 --> 00:05:53,969 spicery and balm and myrrh. And going to carry it down to Egypt. 71 00:05:54,369 --> 00:05:59,409 And Judah said unto his brethren, what profit is it if we 72 00:05:59,409 --> 00:06:04,529 slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell 73 00:06:04,529 --> 00:06:10,009 him to the Ishmaelites. And let not our hand be upon him, for 74 00:06:10,009 --> 00:06:13,489 he is our brother in our flesh. And his brethren were content. 75 00:06:14,529 --> 00:06:17,989 Then there passed by Midianites, merchants, merchantmen. 76 00:06:18,069 --> 00:06:21,629 And they Drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph 77 00:06:21,629 --> 00:06:24,909 to The Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. And they brought 78 00:06:24,909 --> 00:06:30,309 Joseph into Egypt. And Reuben returned unto the pit. And behold, 79 00:06:30,309 --> 00:06:34,629 Joseph was not in the pit. And he rent his clothes. Verse 30. And 80 00:06:34,629 --> 00:06:37,669 he returned unto his brethren and said, the child is not. And I 81 00:06:37,669 --> 00:06:41,589 whither shall I go? And they took Joseph's coat and killed a kid 82 00:06:41,669 --> 00:06:45,349 of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood. And they sent 83 00:06:45,349 --> 00:06:49,509 the coat of many colors. And they brought it to their father and 84 00:06:49,509 --> 00:06:54,669 said, this have we found. Know now whether it be thy son's coat 85 00:06:54,669 --> 00:06:58,989 or no. And he knew it and said, it is my son's coat. An evil 86 00:06:58,989 --> 00:07:03,149 beast hath devoured him. And Joseph, without doubt, is rent in 87 00:07:03,149 --> 00:07:06,989 pieces. And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his 88 00:07:06,989 --> 00:07:12,079 loins and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all 89 00:07:12,079 --> 00:07:16,079 his daughters rose up to comfort him. But he refused to be 90 00:07:16,079 --> 00:07:20,639 comforted and said, for I will go down into the grave unto my son's 91 00:07:20,639 --> 00:07:26,438 mourning. Thus his father wept for him. And the Midianites sold 92 00:07:26,438 --> 00:07:31,199 him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, a captain 93 00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:34,199 of the guard. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, again we pray tonight 94 00:07:34,199 --> 00:07:37,889 that you would be with the message that you would be with again 95 00:07:38,289 --> 00:07:42,009 this example that is set before us. And Lord, may we see the 96 00:07:42,009 --> 00:07:47,329 good and the bad. And Lord, may we apply what the Holy Spirit 97 00:07:48,769 --> 00:07:52,008 convicts us about, touches our hearts about. And Lord, may we yield 98 00:07:52,008 --> 00:07:55,889 to you. And we thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Joseph's life. 99 00:07:56,129 --> 00:08:00,889 There's so many lessons to be taught from it. Not just from his 100 00:08:00,889 --> 00:08:04,689 life, but of course, from his brothers. From the story we have 101 00:08:04,689 --> 00:08:10,729 here in Genesis, chapter 37. We find in verses 1 through 4 that 102 00:08:11,129 --> 00:08:16,289 Joseph was favored by his father Jacob over the other sons. 103 00:08:16,289 --> 00:08:19,849 And the Bible says why? The Bible says because he was the son 104 00:08:20,089 --> 00:08:23,729 of his old age. I also reminded you last Wednesday night 105 00:08:23,729 --> 00:08:28,329 that not only was he the son of his old age, but he was the son 106 00:08:28,329 --> 00:08:36,299 of. Of Rachel, his wife, whom he loved. And he was the firstborn 107 00:08:36,299 --> 00:08:43,459 of Rachel. And so also, by the way, he had, we see that he had been 108 00:08:43,459 --> 00:08:46,619 given authority over his brothers. There's a lot moving parts. 109 00:08:47,099 --> 00:08:51,619 And as you think about it, and as you think about what went on in 110 00:08:51,619 --> 00:08:56,189 Joseph's life and his brother's life, we find again that 111 00:08:56,189 --> 00:09:01,349 being the firstborn of his beloved wife Rachel, he made Joseph 112 00:09:01,349 --> 00:09:06,229 a coat of many colors. Possibly. And I mentioned this to 113 00:09:06,229 --> 00:09:09,069 you last Wednesday night, that this not Only did it have to do with 114 00:09:09,069 --> 00:09:14,349 just Joseph loving him more, Joseph preferring him over his brothers. 115 00:09:14,509 --> 00:09:17,429 And that is the primary interpretation because that's what 116 00:09:17,429 --> 00:09:21,189 it says. But if you want to read between the lines and you see 117 00:09:21,189 --> 00:09:25,199 that being the firstborn of his beloved Rachel, it appears as 118 00:09:25,199 --> 00:09:30,959 though that Joseph may have been given the firstborn rites that 119 00:09:30,959 --> 00:09:35,239 would have been given to Reuben, the firstborn of all of his 120 00:09:35,239 --> 00:09:39,559 wives. And that is definitely part of it. Because if you go over 121 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:44,839 and you read considering Reuben and what he's done, that probably 122 00:09:44,839 --> 00:09:48,759 is the case. We also see again, but if you do the cross referencing 123 00:09:48,759 --> 00:09:52,019 between couple of chapters here, that Joseph apparently had 124 00:09:52,019 --> 00:09:55,659 been given authority over his brothers. And why would the dad give 125 00:09:56,139 --> 00:09:59,819 the youngest the authority over his older brothers? And so I'm 126 00:09:59,819 --> 00:10:04,059 just saying some, the jealousy, the envy, the hatred was 127 00:10:04,379 --> 00:10:09,019 absolutely conceived because of Jacob's preference for Joseph, 128 00:10:09,419 --> 00:10:16,659 but also because of again, the birthright issue and some other issues 129 00:10:16,659 --> 00:10:21,019 that probably were there as well. All that to say Joseph was 130 00:10:21,019 --> 00:10:25,939 born into a dysfunctional family. I mean, this family was dysfunctional. 131 00:10:27,619 --> 00:10:31,459 He was hated by his brothers. Why was he hated by his brothers? 132 00:10:32,179 --> 00:10:37,099 Because Joseph's character, Joseph's character, Joseph was a 133 00:10:37,099 --> 00:10:42,619 light that exposed his brother's darkness. It exposed his 134 00:10:42,619 --> 00:10:49,029 brother's darkness. It pricked their hearts. Joseph was a man of 135 00:10:49,029 --> 00:10:54,229 character. And his brothers were the opposite of that. They were 136 00:10:54,229 --> 00:11:00,629 immoral, evil, so forth. We also learned that Jacob the dad was 137 00:11:00,629 --> 00:11:05,389 a passive father. A passive father. And as a passive father, 138 00:11:05,389 --> 00:11:13,409 he showed favoritism to the youngest and therefore also did not 139 00:11:13,409 --> 00:11:19,529 correct his kids. A passive father will be a lazy father. The 140 00:11:19,529 --> 00:11:22,209 Bible says we ought to train up a child the way they should go. 141 00:11:22,209 --> 00:11:25,249 And when they're old, we will not depart from it. And to be a dad 142 00:11:25,249 --> 00:11:29,929 who trains their child, understand, it takes time to do that. 143 00:11:29,929 --> 00:11:35,689 It takes effort. It takes work to do that in order to train a child. 144 00:11:36,579 --> 00:11:44,499 Amen. Takes effort. And we as dads need to take the effort to train 145 00:11:44,499 --> 00:11:50,339 our children. All that you can go back and listen to like I did 146 00:11:50,339 --> 00:11:54,179 sermon last week, Joseph's dreams. Then Joseph dreamed a dream, 147 00:11:54,259 --> 00:11:58,419 two dreams, verses 5 through 11. And what we tried to get across 148 00:11:58,419 --> 00:12:02,489 last Wednesday night was that God in the Old Testament spoke through 149 00:12:02,959 --> 00:12:07,959 dreams and visions and many times spoke directly to the Old Testament 150 00:12:07,959 --> 00:12:11,759 saints. And when God spoke to them or sent them or gave them a 151 00:12:11,759 --> 00:12:15,359 vision or a dream, that was God's divine revelation. In the Old 152 00:12:15,359 --> 00:12:19,079 Testament we talk about the divine revelation being the Bible. 153 00:12:19,079 --> 00:12:23,399 This is the divine revelation. Amen. This is God's word to Us inspired, 154 00:12:23,399 --> 00:12:28,119 inerrant, the very words of God found in this book. Amazing, 155 00:12:28,119 --> 00:12:34,209 miraculous, powerful book, life changing book. Sharper than 156 00:12:34,209 --> 00:12:37,609 any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul 157 00:12:37,609 --> 00:12:41,969 and spirit and the joints and marrow. It's an amazing book. In 158 00:12:41,969 --> 00:12:46,049 the Old Testament, God spoke directly many times to the Old Testament 159 00:12:46,049 --> 00:12:49,569 saints. Or he spoke to them in dreams, or he spoke to them through 160 00:12:49,569 --> 00:12:54,089 a vision. And what I'm saying is that was just as much the divine 161 00:12:54,089 --> 00:12:58,689 revelation to them as this is the divine revelation to us. So when 162 00:12:58,689 --> 00:13:04,089 Joseph received these dreams, the sheaves of his parents and his 163 00:13:04,089 --> 00:13:08,849 brethren bowing down to his sheave and the sun, moon and stars 164 00:13:08,849 --> 00:13:13,449 bowing down to him. It was all an indication from God. It was God's 165 00:13:13,449 --> 00:13:17,089 divine revelation to Joseph and to the family that Joseph would 166 00:13:17,089 --> 00:13:19,849 be the leader of the family. That it was Joseph who was going 167 00:13:19,849 --> 00:13:22,569 to lead the family forward. It was Joseph that was going to bring 168 00:13:22,569 --> 00:13:27,619 peace to the family of Jacob. Finally bring some peace to the family 169 00:13:27,619 --> 00:13:35,739 that was so, so, so volatile and jealousy and anger and all the 170 00:13:35,739 --> 00:13:40,179 things that wrapped up in Jacob's family's lives. And Joseph 171 00:13:40,179 --> 00:13:45,939 was the one who was going to lead the family. This was given to 172 00:13:46,099 --> 00:13:51,669 Joseph and therefore relayed to the family and should have been 173 00:13:51,669 --> 00:13:58,869 taken as the divine revelation from God. Joseph's brothers were 174 00:13:58,869 --> 00:14:04,709 filled with envy. Joseph's brothers were full of jealousy. They 175 00:14:04,709 --> 00:14:10,949 found opportunity to equal the score. They seized upon it. How they 176 00:14:10,949 --> 00:14:14,709 hated him. Think about this for a moment. Your younger brother 177 00:14:15,029 --> 00:14:17,349 again. I have an older brother, four years older than me. 178 00:14:17,819 --> 00:14:20,419 At points in my life I know and at points of his life he did 179 00:14:20,419 --> 00:14:24,299 not like me very much. When I was in, you know, fourth, fifth, 180 00:14:24,299 --> 00:14:29,259 sixth, seventh, eighth grade. I was one of those junior high kids 181 00:14:29,259 --> 00:14:34,699 that, you know, my brother could not stand. I would, man, I 182 00:14:34,699 --> 00:14:40,659 would. I was relentless in my torture of him and I would not, I 183 00:14:40,659 --> 00:14:44,869 would not be quiet anyway. Lots of things my dad could also 184 00:14:44,949 --> 00:14:48,669 reveal that I would do to my brother. I deserved most of what 185 00:14:48,669 --> 00:14:53,989 all I got from him. I told you some of the stories and these brothers 186 00:14:53,989 --> 00:15:04,349 hated him. Well, they hated him for the wrong reasons. We see 187 00:15:04,349 --> 00:15:11,309 envy and malice will produce the temptation of evil deeds. Envy 188 00:15:11,309 --> 00:15:14,389 and malice will produce the temptation of evil deeds. And we 189 00:15:14,389 --> 00:15:17,509 have the older brothers who not only were tempted, but gave in 190 00:15:17,509 --> 00:15:21,669 to the temptation. In verses 12 through 17 we have Joseph was 191 00:15:21,669 --> 00:15:26,749 sent by his dad to Shechem. We know that from reading the story 192 00:15:26,829 --> 00:15:32,469 previously that Jacob had bought some land in Shechem and there 193 00:15:32,469 --> 00:15:36,749 he had dug a well in Shechem also Remember that's where Dinah, 194 00:15:37,629 --> 00:15:42,789 one of the daughters, was assaulted and where some of the Joseph's 195 00:15:42,789 --> 00:15:48,709 brothers went in and killed all the males of Shechem. So just 196 00:15:48,709 --> 00:15:51,229 kind of remember that as we think about what's going on here, 197 00:15:52,349 --> 00:15:56,589 when Joseph leaves to go to Shechem, it's about a two day journey 198 00:15:56,589 --> 00:16:02,229 from Hebron where Jacob was living. And remembering as Jacob 199 00:16:02,229 --> 00:16:07,859 makes this or as Joseph makes this journey, I believe that in some 200 00:16:07,859 --> 00:16:10,619 ways that Jacob was concerned for the safety of the other brothers 201 00:16:10,619 --> 00:16:15,899 because of what they had done in Shechem. And now they're, you 202 00:16:15,899 --> 00:16:20,739 know, got their flocks in Shechem. So as he sends Joseph up 203 00:16:20,739 --> 00:16:23,699 there, there must have been some trepidation about the brothers. 204 00:16:23,939 --> 00:16:27,339 When he gets to Shechem, the brothers are not there, they're gone. 205 00:16:27,339 --> 00:16:30,219 And the guy finds him in the field and says, hey, what's going 206 00:16:30,219 --> 00:16:32,249 on? He said, I'm trying to look, trying to find my brothers. 207 00:16:32,249 --> 00:16:35,209 I don't know where they went with the flocks. I'm summarizing 208 00:16:35,209 --> 00:16:37,689 now. And he says, well, I heard them say they're going to Dothan. 209 00:16:38,169 --> 00:16:42,769 And Dothan's another 12 miles north of there. And Dothan was a 210 00:16:42,769 --> 00:16:47,449 place of the Bible speaks of. And also history tells us of Dothan 211 00:16:47,449 --> 00:16:50,729 means two wells. Two wells. There was two apparently two water 212 00:16:50,809 --> 00:16:54,809 wells there and two wells of water Wells, yeah, two wells of water. 213 00:16:55,769 --> 00:16:58,969 There were also great fertile pastures there. This is a place where 214 00:16:59,329 --> 00:17:04,199 there many would come to bring their flocks. There was also underground 215 00:17:04,199 --> 00:17:08,239 cisterns here. We're speaking of this as the pit that Joseph would 216 00:17:08,239 --> 00:17:11,159 have been thrown into. And I'll explain that here in a moment. 217 00:17:13,639 --> 00:17:19,919 This is where he was at. In Dothan. In Dothan. Think about it 218 00:17:19,919 --> 00:17:25,239 for a moment. He receives the dream. His brothers hate him even 219 00:17:25,239 --> 00:17:31,189 more. Then as he continues to be the man of character. Joseph continues 220 00:17:31,189 --> 00:17:35,069 to be a man of character. Young man, remember he's 17, a young 221 00:17:35,069 --> 00:17:39,269 man of character, that his dad continues to give him responsibility 222 00:17:39,269 --> 00:17:44,589 concerning his brothers. He leaves, goes to Shechem. His brothers 223 00:17:44,589 --> 00:17:48,389 are not there. They have left and went to Dothan. He gets to Dothan. 224 00:17:48,869 --> 00:17:51,429 I am telling you, there's a reason why all this is happening. 225 00:17:53,609 --> 00:17:57,129 In verses 18 again we see the envy of his brothers. The jealousy 226 00:17:57,369 --> 00:18:02,249 now is turning to violence. They said, behold, the streamer cometh 227 00:18:05,129 --> 00:18:08,889 and they conspired to kill him. Think about that for a moment. 228 00:18:08,889 --> 00:18:16,009 Again, here's blood relative and they're conspiring to kill him. 229 00:18:16,409 --> 00:18:20,529 They wanted vengeance, understand? They wanted vengeance. 230 00:18:20,689 --> 00:18:24,809 They were far from home. Nobody would Ever know? I mean, they're 231 00:18:24,809 --> 00:18:30,129 now almost three days journey from home. Nobody would ever know. 232 00:18:31,169 --> 00:18:35,689 I pointed out verse 20 when he said, when they said we'll see, he 233 00:18:35,689 --> 00:18:40,849 said we'll see. Now what becomes of these dreams? God sent 234 00:18:41,089 --> 00:18:45,569 dreams to people in the Old Testament and they were divine revelation. 235 00:18:47,229 --> 00:18:51,269 You got to read between the lines a little bit. But no doubt 236 00:18:51,269 --> 00:18:55,669 Jacob, as I said last week, no doubt Jacob understood because he 237 00:18:55,669 --> 00:19:01,189 observed it. It said Jacob had been talked to by God. He knew how 238 00:19:01,189 --> 00:19:07,669 divine revelation came. Do you not think the brothers did too? And 239 00:19:07,669 --> 00:19:11,789 now they're being told by these dreams, by God's divine revelation, 240 00:19:11,789 --> 00:19:16,449 that they are going to serve their younger brother. That's what 241 00:19:16,449 --> 00:19:18,529 they said. You're saying we're going to serve you. You're going 242 00:19:18,529 --> 00:19:21,929 to say mom and dad are going to bow down to you. And now what 243 00:19:21,929 --> 00:19:27,089 they're saying is we'll see if this thing happens. At first they're 244 00:19:27,089 --> 00:19:29,769 just going to kill him. Well, if he's dead, those things can't 245 00:19:29,769 --> 00:19:39,299 come to pass. Or so they think. By the way, if there's nothing 246 00:19:39,299 --> 00:19:45,539 to the dreams, then why go to all the effort? They did maybe. Ever 247 00:19:45,539 --> 00:19:51,259 thought about that Again, if there was nothing to the dreams, 248 00:19:51,259 --> 00:19:56,819 then Joseph was just prideful and arrogant. No, no, they were God's 249 00:19:56,819 --> 00:20:01,299 divine revelation. Joseph understood that. I believe Jacob 250 00:20:01,299 --> 00:20:05,069 understood it and I think the brothers did too. We'll find out 251 00:20:05,069 --> 00:20:11,189 when we get to heaven. But there's no doubt Joseph did. And 252 00:20:11,189 --> 00:20:16,989 then by the way, again you come to the conclusion, we'll see 253 00:20:16,989 --> 00:20:20,269 what these dreams, if anything comes of these dreams, these dreams 254 00:20:20,269 --> 00:20:23,509 were either not from God or they were from God. If they were 255 00:20:23,509 --> 00:20:27,189 not from God, then nothing would become of them. But they specifically 256 00:20:27,189 --> 00:20:30,339 say, we'll see what's going to happen about these dreams. And so 257 00:20:30,339 --> 00:20:33,059 if that's the case, if they're God's divine revelation, and they 258 00:20:33,059 --> 00:20:37,099 are, then it's useless to attempt to thwart God's divine revelation. 259 00:20:37,499 --> 00:20:42,579 It's useless. Amen. I mean, Saul could do whatever he wanted 260 00:20:42,579 --> 00:20:46,179 to and trying to kill David, but God had already, I mean, Samuel 261 00:20:46,179 --> 00:20:49,819 had already anointed David king, that he was going to be king. 262 00:20:51,259 --> 00:20:54,259 God had already told Samuel to anoint David. He was going to be 263 00:20:54,259 --> 00:20:58,749 the king. You, you can't thwart that. You can't deter God's 264 00:20:58,749 --> 00:21:02,629 revelation. It's going to happen. God keeps his word always. 265 00:21:03,669 --> 00:21:08,149 Always. So attempting to do anything about it was ludicrous. 266 00:21:10,149 --> 00:21:15,149 Then Reuben, the oldest makes an effort to save Joseph. The firstborn 267 00:21:15,149 --> 00:21:18,429 steps in and tries to save him and says, hey, let's don't kill him. 268 00:21:18,429 --> 00:21:21,699 Let's just put him down into a pit here. And with the intention 269 00:21:21,699 --> 00:21:27,019 of coming back and saving him. And I still believe here that Reuben 270 00:21:27,019 --> 00:21:30,739 had lost the birthright because of what he had done with 271 00:21:32,499 --> 00:21:38,859 one of his father's wives and committing immorality with her. And 272 00:21:38,859 --> 00:21:43,099 then on top of that, again, Joseph being the beloved son of Rachel, 273 00:21:43,099 --> 00:21:46,499 the firstborn. We know this, and I'm not going to turn there, 274 00:21:46,499 --> 00:21:50,479 but you can look it up later. Genesis 49, verses 3 through 4. If 275 00:21:50,479 --> 00:21:53,519 you remember, when Jacob's about to die, he brings all of his 276 00:21:53,519 --> 00:21:56,439 sons before him, and he gives them that blessing they're supposed 277 00:21:56,439 --> 00:22:00,799 to receive before the father dies. And as he, as the firstborn, 278 00:22:00,799 --> 00:22:05,959 Reuben comes to him, he says, you're as unstable as water. And 279 00:22:05,959 --> 00:22:10,559 he says a few other things. And then he does confront him at 280 00:22:10,559 --> 00:22:16,969 that point about him sleeping with one of his wives as he's about 281 00:22:16,969 --> 00:22:21,809 to die. Maybe you should have done that back when it happened instead 282 00:22:21,809 --> 00:22:29,569 of being a passive father. But he did plan to deliver him. Don't 283 00:22:29,569 --> 00:22:35,969 kill him. Let's cast him into the pit. In Dothan, even today, there 284 00:22:35,969 --> 00:22:41,299 are cisterns that are hewn out of the rocks. So you think about 285 00:22:41,779 --> 00:22:46,379 these huge cisterns that have been dug into the rock, been chiseled 286 00:22:46,379 --> 00:22:50,539 out of the rock. They're shaped like a bottle. So you would 287 00:22:50,539 --> 00:22:53,379 have. You would have come up to a cistern. You would have looked 288 00:22:53,379 --> 00:22:55,619 down in it. I don't know. You know, hoes would have been various 289 00:22:55,619 --> 00:22:59,339 sizes. But let's say the hoe is, you know, six foot around. But 290 00:22:59,339 --> 00:23:02,299 when you look down in it, it's, you know, it's shaped like 291 00:23:02,299 --> 00:23:06,459 a bottle on the inside. So what? The point is this. If you throw 292 00:23:06,459 --> 00:23:09,739 somebody down in there, they can't get out by themselves. You 293 00:23:09,739 --> 00:23:13,339 can't crawl up the wall and then crawl up the angle. You know, 294 00:23:13,339 --> 00:23:17,859 that's like a bottle. And they're still there today. A lot 295 00:23:17,859 --> 00:23:21,459 of them still there today. And this is kind of what the scholars 296 00:23:21,459 --> 00:23:24,299 believe he was thrown down to. And it does make sense, because it 297 00:23:24,299 --> 00:23:31,539 does say, into a pit where there was no water here in Dolphin. 298 00:23:33,549 --> 00:23:38,549 Impossible to escape on their own. Also something maybe you haven't 299 00:23:38,549 --> 00:23:43,349 thought about was, do we. What was the reaction of Joseph? I mean, 300 00:23:43,349 --> 00:23:47,429 he comes to his brothers, the brothers grab him, strip him of his 301 00:23:47,429 --> 00:23:51,909 coat, tear his coat off, and then throw him into a pit. What was 302 00:23:51,909 --> 00:23:56,309 the reaction of Joseph? Turn. I do want you to look at this turn 303 00:23:56,309 --> 00:23:59,789 to Genesis 42, because sometimes we don't make this connection. 304 00:24:00,789 --> 00:24:08,709 Genesis 42, and look with me in verse. Look back about verse 17. 305 00:24:12,789 --> 00:24:16,829 Now, when Joseph again his brothers had come down to get food, 306 00:24:16,829 --> 00:24:21,989 and Joseph is saying unto them, he spake to them, ye are spies. 307 00:24:21,989 --> 00:24:26,629 In verse 14, send one of you back, go fetch your brother. Verse 308 00:24:26,629 --> 00:24:30,349 17. And he put them all together in a ward, three days. He 309 00:24:30,349 --> 00:24:32,589 put them in jail for three days. Joseph put his brothers in 310 00:24:32,589 --> 00:24:35,909 jail for three days. And Joseph said unto them, the third 311 00:24:35,909 --> 00:24:40,309 day this do and live, for I fear God. And if ye be true men, 312 00:24:40,309 --> 00:24:43,349 let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison. 313 00:24:43,669 --> 00:24:49,429 Go. Ye carry corn for the famine of your house, houses. But 314 00:24:49,429 --> 00:24:55,359 bring your youngest brother unto me, so shall your words be verified 315 00:24:55,439 --> 00:25:00,319 and ye shall not die. And they did so. Look at verse 21. And they 316 00:25:00,319 --> 00:25:04,439 said one to another, here they are in prison. Ralph, we are very 317 00:25:04,439 --> 00:25:09,999 guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his 318 00:25:09,999 --> 00:25:17,359 soul when he besought us and we would not hear. Therefore is this 319 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:22,219 distress come upon us. So when his brothers are put into prison 320 00:25:22,219 --> 00:25:26,379 by Joseph, they said, this has happened to us because when we heard 321 00:25:26,379 --> 00:25:31,259 the cries of Joseph, when we heard the cry of Joseph, and there's 322 00:25:31,259 --> 00:25:35,659 no doubt the 17 year old boy who was now attacked by his brothers, 323 00:25:36,059 --> 00:25:39,219 ripped the coat off of him, threw him down in the pit and he 324 00:25:39,219 --> 00:25:42,939 was crying to them. He said, we saw his soul, we saw the fear 325 00:25:42,939 --> 00:25:45,619 of his soul, we saw the, the distress of his soul. And we did 326 00:25:45,619 --> 00:25:52,059 nothing. We did nothing. And now you reap what you sow. It's coming 327 00:25:52,059 --> 00:25:57,259 back our way. So it does tell us that Joseph didn't just go, okay, 328 00:25:57,259 --> 00:26:02,499 throw me in the pit. No, no, he was crying out, he was fearful. 329 00:26:05,939 --> 00:26:18,029 Seventeen years old, I couldn't imagine, could you? Shows 330 00:26:18,029 --> 00:26:22,189 that his brothers were merciless, that jealousy and malice 331 00:26:22,189 --> 00:26:26,829 had calloused them to the point that the 17 year old who cried 332 00:26:26,829 --> 00:26:31,229 out to him, cried out to them. In verse 25 it says after they threw 333 00:26:31,229 --> 00:26:34,949 in the pit, they sat down and ate. It's like, oh, okay, let's go 334 00:26:34,949 --> 00:26:37,419 eat, guys. Just threw a brother in the pit, but let's go 335 00:26:37,419 --> 00:26:45,619 eat. Not kind of how you read it. It's like it's no big deal. Wonder 336 00:26:45,619 --> 00:26:49,339 if Joseph was still crying out down there in the pit as they ate. 337 00:26:51,099 --> 00:26:58,459 Jealousy and envy are diabolical. Someone has said that 338 00:26:58,539 --> 00:27:02,059 jealousy and envy. By the way, jealousy and envy are sister words. 339 00:27:02,059 --> 00:27:06,419 They're synonyms. The Bible actually will change them out in 340 00:27:06,419 --> 00:27:12,819 many, many, many areas. Someone has Said that jealousy, envy 341 00:27:12,819 --> 00:27:19,819 is a soul sin. It's rottenness to the bone. It'll eat at you if 342 00:27:19,819 --> 00:27:23,339 you're the jealous one. If you're the one who's envying, it 343 00:27:23,339 --> 00:27:29,379 eats at your bones. Solomon said it this way. In Solomon Ate 344 00:27:29,939 --> 00:27:34,019 and verse six, he says, jealousy is as cruel as the grave. 345 00:27:34,259 --> 00:27:39,459 Think about that. Jealousy is as cruel as the grave. Resentment, 346 00:27:39,459 --> 00:27:42,659 Jealousy and envy is resentment against a person enjoying 347 00:27:42,659 --> 00:27:47,859 success or advantage. Envy is when somebody, another person has 348 00:27:47,859 --> 00:27:54,299 more or knows more, or can do more. You're jealous of that. It's 349 00:27:54,299 --> 00:27:56,579 like when somebody makes 50 cents more an hour than you do and 350 00:27:56,579 --> 00:28:00,719 you're jealous of them. It's crazy sometimes, isn't it? What people 351 00:28:00,719 --> 00:28:07,839 get jealous over or envious over. You know, my car looks really, 352 00:28:07,839 --> 00:28:10,439 really good until my neighbor gets a better car. And I'm like, 353 00:28:11,479 --> 00:28:17,959 you know, mine doesn't have any pavement. So I'm like, I love 354 00:28:17,959 --> 00:28:25,369 old silver. Old silver's my tr. Envy and jealousy will rot you 355 00:28:25,369 --> 00:28:29,089 at the core. Envy and jealousy again are first cousins. They're 356 00:28:29,089 --> 00:28:35,969 synonyms. It's the act of nurturing hostile feelings and actions 357 00:28:35,969 --> 00:28:40,689 towards someone. First John 3:12 says that envy is devilish. 358 00:28:41,089 --> 00:28:45,689 Galatians, chapter 5, verses 19 through 21. Talk about again that 359 00:28:45,689 --> 00:28:49,339 envy is the work of the flesh. Jesus. Jealousy is the work of the 360 00:28:49,339 --> 00:28:51,859 flesh. And then if you turn, and we won't turn there. Romans, 361 00:28:51,859 --> 00:28:56,939 chapter 1, verses 29 through 30 list envy end with some terrible, 362 00:28:56,939 --> 00:29:03,219 atrocious. What we would think about as huge sins, including, oh, 363 00:29:03,219 --> 00:29:10,299 man, so many things. Adultery, murder, Many, many other things. 364 00:29:11,579 --> 00:29:17,709 That's the list God puts them in. I already mentioned again about 365 00:29:17,709 --> 00:29:22,109 Saul and David. Think about again that in 1st Samuel 18, 5, 9, 366 00:29:22,109 --> 00:29:27,749 and Saul, really the first time you see him with that jealousy 367 00:29:27,749 --> 00:29:33,309 towards David is when David goes off and defeats one of the armies. 368 00:29:33,309 --> 00:29:36,189 And he comes back and they're singing songs about David. They're 369 00:29:36,189 --> 00:29:39,149 saying, David hath killed his ten thousands and Saul has killed 370 00:29:39,149 --> 00:29:43,029 his thousands. David has killed his tens of thousands. Saul 371 00:29:43,029 --> 00:29:48,349 had killed his thousands. And that's when the jealousy rose up 372 00:29:48,349 --> 00:29:55,029 in King Saul. Didn't take long then. Saul was constantly after David 373 00:29:55,029 --> 00:30:03,189 to kill him. Envy and jealousy. Mordecai and Haman remember 374 00:30:03,189 --> 00:30:06,509 the story. We certainly. Again, I wish we had a lot more time. 375 00:30:06,989 --> 00:30:12,549 In the Book of Esther, when it talks about Mordecai, the king asked 376 00:30:12,549 --> 00:30:18,389 the question, hey, Haman, if you knew someone had saved the king 377 00:30:18,389 --> 00:30:23,669 from being assassinated, what would you do for them? What would 378 00:30:23,669 --> 00:30:29,669 you do for them? Oh, he said, I would put him in my chariot, and 379 00:30:29,669 --> 00:30:33,029 I would put your crown on him, and I would let him go through the 380 00:30:33,029 --> 00:30:36,099 city, and people would. Would bow to him, and I'd make, you know. 381 00:30:36,579 --> 00:30:39,779 Well, he said, okay, Haman, go do that with Mordecai. Mordecai, 382 00:30:39,779 --> 00:30:42,979 Mordecai. Had he read back in some history where Mordecai had saved 383 00:30:42,979 --> 00:30:49,139 the king from a plot. And so here's Haman having to take Mordecai 384 00:30:49,299 --> 00:30:53,379 around the city in the king's chariot and all these people. Anyway, 385 00:30:54,819 --> 00:31:01,899 so what happened? Haman became jealous, envious, sought to kill 386 00:31:02,059 --> 00:31:05,659 not only just Mordecai, but all the Jews. And it's crazy the 387 00:31:05,659 --> 00:31:10,419 way that went on. But what eventually happened? The gallows 388 00:31:10,419 --> 00:31:17,019 that Haman had built for Mordecai. Haman was hung on his own 389 00:31:17,019 --> 00:31:21,659 gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Jealousy and envy will 390 00:31:21,659 --> 00:31:28,749 eventually catch up with you. It'll catch up with you. Envy and 391 00:31:28,749 --> 00:31:32,589 jealousy again leads to resentment and bitterness. It becomes 392 00:31:32,589 --> 00:31:40,789 the master of one's life and can eat you at the core. We think 393 00:31:40,789 --> 00:31:43,869 about in the New Testament, First Corinthians, we call it the 394 00:31:43,869 --> 00:31:46,389 Book of Corrections. As Paul is correcting the church at Corinth, 395 00:31:46,469 --> 00:31:50,429 he found many there who were envious. In chapter three, two and 396 00:31:50,429 --> 00:31:53,869 three, talks about the people were divided, and they were saying, 397 00:31:53,869 --> 00:31:56,919 well, I'm of Apollos, and I'm of this, and I'm of. I'm of this 398 00:31:56,919 --> 00:32:01,359 person. And jealousy and envy had divided them. So much so that 399 00:32:01,359 --> 00:32:04,519 in chapter 12 he talks about that God had given them gifts and 400 00:32:04,519 --> 00:32:09,359 gifts to edify the church. And he lists out those gifts, and he 401 00:32:09,359 --> 00:32:14,039 said, God had given you these gifts as he had decided. God decided 402 00:32:14,279 --> 00:32:18,879 who got what gifts in the church. And they were all jealous 403 00:32:18,879 --> 00:32:22,559 of each other. And in chapter 13, he says, Listen, you guys are 404 00:32:22,559 --> 00:32:26,259 desiring the what you consider to be the greatest gifts. And he 405 00:32:26,259 --> 00:32:29,299 lists some of those out. He said, but the greatest gift that 406 00:32:29,299 --> 00:32:40,379 you should desire is love. Is love, man. It doesn't take long for 407 00:32:40,379 --> 00:32:44,299 envy and jealousy to divide a church. How do we overcome jealousy 408 00:32:44,299 --> 00:32:49,139 and envy? We confess it as a sin. 1 John 1:9. We mentioned this 409 00:32:49,139 --> 00:32:52,589 Sunday, if we confess our sins, he that is God is faithful 410 00:32:52,589 --> 00:32:55,789 and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 411 00:32:56,109 --> 00:32:59,909 First Corinthians When Paul is addressing that envy and jealousy 412 00:32:59,909 --> 00:33:03,629 in the church, he describes to them what love is. In First Corinthians 413 00:33:03,629 --> 00:33:07,789 13, in one of the descriptions of love, he says, love envieth, not 414 00:33:08,669 --> 00:33:14,469 envieth not love isn't jealous. How do we overcome jealousy? 415 00:33:14,469 --> 00:33:20,119 How do we overcome envy? We do so by expressing and having love. 416 00:33:21,479 --> 00:33:25,999 How do we do that? Well, God has a prescription for that. You 417 00:33:25,999 --> 00:33:28,959 go to the doctor, you have something wrong with you. He provides 418 00:33:28,959 --> 00:33:32,199 for you a prescription. You go to the pharmacy, you get it filled 419 00:33:32,199 --> 00:33:36,839 and you take it. Well, God has a prescription for jealousy. And 420 00:33:36,919 --> 00:33:43,129 it's the book. When we read our Bibles and we walk with the Lord 421 00:33:43,129 --> 00:33:47,409 and we develop a greater love for Jesus Christ, it's really that 422 00:33:47,409 --> 00:33:52,169 simple. That the love of Jesus shed abroad in our hearts will dispel 423 00:33:52,169 --> 00:33:57,809 the darkness of envy and jealousy out of our lives. I would 424 00:33:57,809 --> 00:34:01,649 remind you that God's word's always true. I mentioned this a moment 425 00:34:01,649 --> 00:34:05,889 ago and I didn't give you the whole thing, but this is the kind 426 00:34:05,889 --> 00:34:11,409 of, the chronological order of things. Think about this. So again, 427 00:34:11,409 --> 00:34:17,689 Joseph went to Shechem, then he went to Dothan. And guess what? 428 00:34:18,409 --> 00:34:22,769 Dothan happens to be a trade route. This is just coincident that 429 00:34:22,769 --> 00:34:28,649 that happened. They don't kill him, but they toss him into a pit. 430 00:34:29,849 --> 00:34:36,779 Reuben saved him. And then the Ishmaelites happened to come by at 431 00:34:36,779 --> 00:34:41,219 the right time. I mean, that's a coincidence, but we don't. It just 432 00:34:41,219 --> 00:34:45,579 happened to happen. And Judah makes the suggestion, hey, let's 433 00:34:45,579 --> 00:34:49,579 sell our brother. Let's get some money out of this. Just in the 434 00:34:49,579 --> 00:34:56,779 nick of time. All that just. It's just happenstance. It just accidentally 435 00:34:56,779 --> 00:35:02,219 happened. No, no. Think about all the moving parts that had to 436 00:35:02,219 --> 00:35:06,949 happen to. To get Joseph to the place where he would be sold 437 00:35:08,229 --> 00:35:14,429 into slavery. That they had to be in the right city, the right part 438 00:35:14,429 --> 00:35:18,629 of the country where those who would be traveling to Egypt would 439 00:35:18,629 --> 00:35:21,909 come by. And that's exactly where they were at. And a group of 440 00:35:21,909 --> 00:35:26,949 Midianites, Ishmaelites came by at that time in which they had 441 00:35:26,949 --> 00:35:30,759 Joseph in the pit. And they're like, hey, look, there's some camels 442 00:35:30,759 --> 00:35:34,879 coming. We know they're tradesmen. Let's sell Joseph to them. 443 00:35:35,279 --> 00:35:40,599 No, no, this wasn't by happenstance. It didn't happen just 444 00:35:40,599 --> 00:35:45,079 in the nick of time. No, God, all these moving parts. God absolutely 445 00:35:45,079 --> 00:35:49,559 moved him to put Joseph in a position where he would be sold into 446 00:35:49,559 --> 00:35:53,519 slavery, be sold like a common slave. I mean, when he got down to 447 00:35:53,599 --> 00:35:56,039 Egypt, he would have been put on a block. As we think about it, 448 00:35:56,039 --> 00:35:58,639 he would have. He would have been sold as just a common slave. 449 00:35:58,959 --> 00:36:05,039 He was sold to Potiphar, a captain in Pharaoh's army. All this 450 00:36:05,039 --> 00:36:10,039 put in position so that Joseph can save the entire country, save 451 00:36:10,039 --> 00:36:18,039 his family, and save everyone. All in God's hands. All in God's 452 00:36:18,039 --> 00:36:24,769 time. See, the brothers thought they were making the dreams 453 00:36:24,769 --> 00:36:29,289 impossible. But they were only helping the dreams to come to pass. 454 00:36:30,329 --> 00:36:35,009 Isn't that amazing? We'll certainly spend more time on that. 455 00:36:35,009 --> 00:36:40,609 But I do love as we end tonight. Joseph said when his dad 456 00:36:40,609 --> 00:36:44,009 said, hey, I need you. Hey Joseph, I need you. And he said, 457 00:36:44,009 --> 00:36:48,289 here am I. I mentioned this last Wednesday night we hear of Abraham. 458 00:36:48,289 --> 00:36:52,169 When God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 22 and Abraham said, here 459 00:36:52,169 --> 00:36:56,529 am I didn't, you know, didn't hesitate. No, he just said, lord, 460 00:36:56,529 --> 00:36:59,449 here am I. Whatever you want me to do. Joseph was such a young 461 00:36:59,449 --> 00:37:05,809 man of character. He obeyed his father. He was smack dab in the 462 00:37:05,809 --> 00:37:10,689 middle of God's will. Envy and jealousy of his brothers brought 463 00:37:10,689 --> 00:37:13,649 about resentment. And I'm telling you, the love of Christ will 464 00:37:13,649 --> 00:37:20,059 expel that resentment or that jealousy that's in your heart, it 465 00:37:20,059 --> 00:37:27,259 will expel it. God's word will always come to pass. His will is 466 00:37:27,259 --> 00:37:32,179 always sure. You can do whatever you may do to try to thwart 467 00:37:32,179 --> 00:37:40,779 it, but God will bring about his will. By the way, why not just 468 00:37:40,779 --> 00:37:44,949 follow it then? Why didn't these brothers just say, hey, our 469 00:37:44,949 --> 00:37:46,989 brother had a dream. He's going to be leader of the family. 470 00:37:47,549 --> 00:37:50,269 We're all right with that, God. Because you, God, are the God 471 00:37:50,269 --> 00:37:53,709 of heaven. You're the God, the omniscient, all knowing one, all 472 00:37:53,709 --> 00:37:56,869 powerful one. We just want to follow what you have to say. Aren't 473 00:37:56,869 --> 00:38:02,149 we told to do the same thing? But many times we don't. These brothers 474 00:38:02,149 --> 00:38:08,549 tried to thwart the will of God, block the will of God, but all 475 00:38:08,549 --> 00:38:16,289 they did was move it forward. Move it forward, man. We get enough 476 00:38:16,289 --> 00:38:20,129 of Jesus love in our hearts, there'll be no room for envy and 477 00:38:20,129 --> 00:38:26,929 jealousy. No room for envy and jealousy. Is the love of Jesus something 478 00:38:26,929 --> 00:38:31,209 wonderful? The relationship we have with Jesus Christ is the cure, 479 00:38:31,929 --> 00:38:37,339 is the prescription pill for envy, jealousy and really, I know 480 00:38:37,339 --> 00:38:41,259 it's a kind of a, you know, we have certain medications that are 481 00:38:41,259 --> 00:38:46,019 kind of a, you know, a blanket medication that helps so many illnesses. 482 00:38:46,019 --> 00:38:49,779 Can I tell you just the love of Jesus is the cure. Staying focused 483 00:38:49,779 --> 00:38:54,219 on the Lord, walking with Jesus every day. And I'm telling 484 00:38:54,219 --> 00:38:57,939 you, the one who is jealous and envious is the one who's hurting 485 00:38:57,939 --> 00:39:03,309 the most. Hurting themselves the most. It's not hurting the one 486 00:39:03,309 --> 00:39:07,189 you're jealous of. It's not hurting the one you're envious of. 487 00:39:07,829 --> 00:39:13,029 You are the one who are hurting. Just come to Jesus, confess 488 00:39:13,029 --> 00:39:21,269 it, lay it at his feet. He's the cure. And I love that God's word 489 00:39:21,509 --> 00:39:28,199 always, always is fulfilled, always true. Let's all stand have 490 00:39:28,199 --> 00:39:33,879 verse invitation tonight. Hymn 155 have thine own Way. Lord, Heavenly 491 00:39:33,879 --> 00:39:37,519 Father, we love you and we thank you for this wonderful, wonderful 492 00:39:38,319 --> 00:39:42,199 example that we have in the Bible in the life of Joseph. Lord, 493 00:39:42,199 --> 00:39:48,479 may we be obedient to you as our Father. May we continue and walk 494 00:39:48,479 --> 00:39:52,239 with you and develop that love for Jesus that we ought to have. 495 00:39:53,129 --> 00:39:57,089 Lord, may we put aside envy and jealousy and other sins that 496 00:39:57,089 --> 00:40:00,809 are in our lives. Lord, we thank you that your promises are 497 00:40:00,809 --> 00:40:03,969 always true. Your Word is always true, and I'm so glad we can 498 00:40:03,969 --> 00:40:07,369 trust you. In Jesus name, amen.