Our sermon text tonight is from Genesis 37. Book of Genesis chapter 37. As I read, as you listen, keep in mind, this is the word of God. Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being 17 years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Phila and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age. and he made him a tunic of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him even more. So he said to them, please hear this dream which I have dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And indeed, your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brother said to him, shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, look, I have dreamed another dream. In this time, the sun, the moon, and the 11 stars bow down to me. So he told it to his father and his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, what is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you? And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind. Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them. So he said to him, Here I am. Then he said to him, please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem. Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, what are you seeking? So he said, I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks. And the man said, they have departed from here. For I heard them say, let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to one another, look, this dreamer is coming. Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit. And we shall say, some wild beast has devoured him. We shall see what will become of his dreams. But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, Let us not kill him. And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit, which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him, that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father. So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit, and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh on their way to carry them down to Egypt. So Joseph said to his brothers, what profit is there if we kill 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 his brothers listened. Then Midianite traders passed by, so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for 20 shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes. And he returned to his brothers and said, the lad is no more, and I, where shall I go? So they took Joseph's tunic. killed a kid of the goats and dipped the tunic in the blood. Then they sent the tunic of many colors and they brought it to their father and said, we have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not? And he recognized it and said, it is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt, Joseph is torn to pieces. Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him. But he refused to be comforted, and he said, for I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning. Thus his father wept for him. Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, and captain of the guard. So for the reading of God's word, amen, you may be seated. Brothers and sisters, in the Lord Jesus Christ, this evening, we come to Genesis 37, a great chapter, a wonderful chapter of scripture. And as we see where this chapter falls within the book of Genesis, it helps us to really understand a little better what's going on. You can divide Genesis up more broadly. In chapters 1 through 11, we have this great introduction, really, to Genesis and to the whole Bible. as we read about the creation account and the certain things that lead up to God's calling of Abraham. Then after that we have three certain, you can call them narrative stories, these long stories. One that is about Abraham. And then we have another one that is about Jacob, a long section of the book of Genesis. Then starting at chapter 37 and through the end, we have a story that largely concerns Joseph. And it is this last major story that helps to set up the whole Pentateuch as a whole and really casts the vision and sets the stage for the things that are going to happen. So, for example, if you look at the very next book, chapter one, verse eight of Exodus, I believe, says that there is a pharaoh that arose in Egypt who did not know Joseph. So that's then the context of what happens there in Exodus. And Genesis 37 through 50 has often been called the Joseph narrative or the Joseph story, and there's a lot of truth there. And if the Lord spares us next week, our sermon will be in chapter 38, where we have Judah as the center focus. I believe that in this section of scripture, verses chapter 37 through chapter 50, really, this talks about Joseph and Judah, and both of these characters feature very prominently. So we can speak of this as the Joseph and Judah narrative. However, today, in chapter 37, our sermon will be God's Way with Joseph. God's Way with Joseph. It's also helpful to point out the contrast to chapter 36. So, chapter 36, of course, you have the rival twins of Jacob and Esau. And chapter 36, you have an entire chapter that's dedicated to Esau's genealogy and to his legacy. And if you were to read through that chapter, you would see all these names and the accomplishments of Esau's descendants. And you would be impressed with the way that his house and his kingdom and his family name lived on in this way. You have an entire chapter of that. Then you come to the other brother in chapter 37, come to Jacob. You actually have a similar formula. So we read in chapter 37 verse 2. Let's see here. Yeah, this is the history of Jacob, or your translation might say something like, these are the generations. And this is a certain formula that's used throughout the book of Genesis at certain times. And I'll say this is the last time that this certain formula is used in Genesis to indicate everything that happens after this in the book is to be seen as one unit. It was used previously in chapter 36. We do have a contrast here. So we move from seeing what happened with Esau and his great worldly name and his worldly legacy. You go to chapter 37 with the child of promise, Jacob, and we see this dysfunctional family and all these terrible things that are happening. But it is through this dysfunctional family that the Lord is going to work his mighty work and to raise his Messiah. So today, with the Lord's help, as we look at God's way with Joseph, we will note some points of exposition from the text, some points of doctrine that we can draw from the text and teach from the text, and then thirdly, some points of application to make from the text. So here are some points of exposition as we look at what the text is teaching us. First of all, we see promise. So in terms of God's way with Joseph, in verses one through 11, we see promise that is given to Joseph. In verses one through four, we see how Joseph is receiving favor from Jacob, his earthly father. How Jacob loved his son, Joseph, more than his other sons, and he made to him what you probably know as a coat of many colors. And I think we can question whether colors is the best translation of this word. What I think is probably certain is that this was a royal coat, that it indicated some kind of royal status that Jacob intended. to belong to him. The only other time that this little Hebrew phrase is used, this coat of many colors or something like that, is in 2 Samuel 13, for the virgin daughters of the king who are dressed in these clothes that are described this way. I think if you look at the word, literally it has something to do with the length or the extent of it that indicates some kind of royal status. And if you're Jacob, in one sense, this makes sense because he is looking for a covenant successor. Of course, he knows how God called Abraham and chose him and chose to make a great people out of him and how his own father Isaac was one that God favored over Ishmael. Now how the Lord had blessed and favored him over Esau. Now he himself is looking for this covenant successor. And now he looks apparently to Joseph. I think that we have an indicator of this perhaps all the way back in chapter 30. If you want to turn there, that's fine. When Joseph is born. So chapter 30, verse 25. And it came to pass when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. And perhaps it's as if Joseph, Jacob, I mean, finally has a son through his favorite, most loved wife, Rachel. And after he has a son with her, he says, it's time to go back. It's time to go back home to the land where the Lord has which the Lord has given to us that he has promised to our family now that I have this covenant seed. So it's possible, if not probable, that this is going through Jacob's mind. And of course, there's the natural question of Jacob's favoritism. Is this justified? Is it sinful? And an argument can be made that Jacob's favoritism, his special love of Joseph, is justified because he's looking for this covenant heir to succeed him. I find that interpretation difficult. It's not what I believe. Because not only was he looking for a covenant heir, the text says that he loved this son more than he loved his other sons. which I think is an error. But then also, the reason for his special love that's given has nothing to do with him looking to God's promises, because he was the son of his old age, the text says. But at any rate, you see how Joseph is receiving favor, favor from his earthly father. But then you see how he receives favor from God, the heavenly father, in verses 5 through 11. And this appears in a series of two dreams, as you read. The first dream is the dream of these sheaves as they're out in this agricultural context. And these sheaves that are bowing down to represent Joseph receiving some kind of special honor. And the second dream, as we have seen, of these heavenly bodies. Again, with Joseph receiving this special honor. And you'll hear people that go back and forth as to whether Joseph was justified in sharing these dreams. Some people might say that Joseph was this spoiled brat, this immature 17-year-old kid who goes around and who's bragging about his special favor to his brothers and who's showing off to them. Well, Joseph did wear this special coat his father made for him. I don't see anything wrong with this. His father, in love, made him this great piece of clothing, and that's what he was wearing. But also, if you look at Joseph's dreams and what he was communicating with his dreams, you have to remember that this is a time in God's people's history where there is no written scripture. They don't have any Bible. The only divine revelation that they receive, the only special revelation, is when God speaks every now and then. And Joseph would have known that God had spoken to his father and to his grandfather and his great-grandfather. And now he sees that God is speaking to him in dreams. So how can he but share what God has communicated to him? I believe Joseph is speaking prophetically. And it might even be wrong for him to receive this special word from God and not to share it with his family, and of course his brothers, his father ought to rejoice with him as they are seeing the way that God is speaking to him and this great promise that is coming to him. And so I certainly believe that what Joseph does here is justifiable and I see no sin in Joseph in this passage. The dream is repeated twice. I should say the content of the dream, the message is repeated twice, which we can say implies certainty. Just as later on in Genesis, Pharaoh would have a series of two dreams, and then Joseph tells Pharaoh the very fact that the message of the dream is repeated twice indicates that it is certain to come to pass, it will come to pass soon. Another thought I had is you look at the difference between these two dreams is one of really the first dream is one that is characterized by what is common. So you have these sheaves that are out here, probably in the field, and this is common life. There's nothing wrong with being a farmer, it's a great calling to have, but it's also a very common thing to do, very ordinary, especially in Joseph's day. But what about the imagery in the second dream? Now what is common about the sun and the moon and the stars? These things that you see in the heaven of heavens. They are far above us. They are things that cannot be reached or touched. And so as you look at the difference in imagery, the stark difference here, it's possible that we see a move from abasement to glory, from humiliation to exaltation that is gently couched in the imagery of these two dreams. Then you also see in this section the brothers' great hatred. Now, as I'm teaching here, I believe that Jacob's favor to Joseph was bad, that the Lord's favor to Joseph was good. But does this make a difference to the brothers? Indeed, no. They hate him for both. As we look at verse, I'm trying to see what verse this is. I don't know the specific text, but it says that they could not speak peaceably to him. And I've heard that the Hebrew behind this is literally they could not speak shalom. That peace is one that they could not pass on to him. His father does respond differently. He has a different attitude. In verse 11, it says that he kept the matter in mind. And maybe you think of Mary, who receives the promise of the birth of Jesus. It says that she pondered these things in her heart. So even though Jacob's behavior here, including in the way that he rebukes Joseph for sharing these dreams, is not altogether right, we see an indication that he is a true believer as he thinks about this promise from God. And so we see Joseph and promise in terms of God's way with Joseph. But then secondly, as we go through the text, we see pain. Great pain, in verses 12 through 36. See, first of all, hear how Joseph seeks his own brothers in verses 12 through 17. And I believe it's here in verse 14, where again, we have that little word, that little Hebrew phrase about speaking shalom. Verse 14, please go and see if it is well with your brothers and if it is well with the flocks. So this is what Joseph is sent to do. And we know here in verse 12 that they went to Shechem. But why did they go to Shechem? If you read just a few chapters before this, you see how two of Joseph's brothers, Simeon and Levi, in a deceitful and terrible act of inhumane slaughter, massacre all the men in the city of Shechem. So this is a city that has been bereft of its male strength. And this is where they go and take refuge. Also see how they depart from Israel of Jacob, who's also named Israel. So they are departing from the one to whom God has given covenant blessings. And perhaps you could make a case that it was right for them to do this, to find a place for them to shepherd their flocks. I don't see this here in the text, but it seemed to me that they are departing from the place and from the person where they could expect God's blessings to flow from, especially since the man That would be the covenant heir was not necessarily here revealed and they depart from him. I also imagine that these brothers cannot bear to be around the righteousness of Joseph and perhaps even the righteousness of his father. They cannot bear this. Earlier in the text, we're told that Joseph gave an evil report to their father. And instead of repenting of their evil, they flee from the man who is acting as a conscience to them. However, Joseph is faithful and he goes after them when his father sends him. So Joseph seeks his own brothers. Then we see that Joseph suffers from his own brothers as we see Joseph's pain. in verses 18 through 28. As we read this passage, we also see the character of Reuben, who people also have different views about. Is Reuben acting poorly here and not standing up for his brother publicly against all of his evil brothers and as the firstborn saying, I will not let this happen. I will save him. And is it also possible that Reuben is aware that he may have lost his inheritance a few chapters ago when he goes into his father's wife? And indeed, in Genesis 39, Jacob notes this. And for this reason, Reuben does not receive the inheritance. So is it possible that Reuben is aware of this and he sees Joseph's special favor and he says, If I save Joseph, maybe I can retrieve this status and become the heir, this covenant heir of my father. Perhaps that's true. Seems to me that what we've been doing here is, in fact, good. There might be some cleverness in the way in which he is trying to rescue Joseph. This plan that he has hatched, it appears like it might actually work. And perhaps if it did work, people would have a different opinion of him. People would be praising him for his cleverness. And also, notice his response when he sees how Joseph has been sold. He tears his clothes. It seems like one of repentance. So we have then the aftermath of after Joseph seeks his own brothers, he suffers from his own brothers. We see in verses 29 and 30, Reuben's disappointment. We also see his brother's deception in verses 31 through 32, as they deceive their own father. And I want you to notice something. So remember that Isaac was once deceived by Jacob. And how was he deceived? If you remember the story, with a goat and a coat. And now, in some sense of poetic justice, it is as if the one who deceived his father, Isaac, is now deceived by his own sons with the same items, with a goat and with a coat. I want to note here, as well, after they cast Joseph into this pit, it says they sit down to eat a meal. You can imagine, perhaps, they hear the screams and the cries of Joseph, who is begging his brothers for mercy. And they sit down, and they eat, and it seems like in their own consciences, nothing had happened. Of course, we know in God's grace, years later, their consciences will afflict them. When they see the way that Joseph speaks to them, and they don't recognize him, and they say something like, They remember how they treated Joseph. And now they believe God is treating them in that same way. So we see the brother's deception. We see then the father's devastation, verses 33 through 35. This is a man who had lost. his beloved wife, the one whom he worked for 14 years. She is gone, and now the son that he had with her, the one that he believed would be his heir, the one, I think, that he expected God's covenant blessings to flow through, through whom perhaps he thought the Messiah would come, was now dead. And it says, all of Jacob's sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he would not be comforted. So you have this mock comfort that these sons who know what just happened are offering to him, which indeed is despicable and hypocritical. Then verse 36, we have Joseph's destiny. And in this little verse is couched everything else that's going to happen and flow in the book of Genesis when it says, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and a captain of the guard. So we see Joseph's promise and then Joseph's pain as the way that God is going to deal with Joseph. And as we put these two things together, we can see that through all the pain that Joseph would experience, that he would suffer in his life, he could hold to this promise. He could remember the way that God spoke to him. in these dreams. This also shows to us the pattern in scripture that we see of humiliation that goes before exaltation. That before Joseph is lifted up and exalted in this lofty position, he indeed is humbled and experiences many years and many trials of humiliation. So we have seen some notes of exposition from the text. Now, what are some things we can learn doctrinally, points of doctrine from the text? There are a few that I have here. I have three. And the first of these, or the most important of these, is about Christ. So of everything that I can tell you about this text, of all the points of doctrine that there be, what greater thing is there than to tell you about the Lord Jesus Christ? And perhaps you've heard, and perhaps you've seen in your own reading of scripture, Joseph as a type of Christ. As you look at the pattern of his life, you just can't get away from the thought that he symbolizes, or he represents Christ in some way. I certainly believe that in his person and in his work, as we look at Joseph, he is modeling Christ. We see that through this section, chapter 37 to 50. We see a lot that's just in this chapter alone. So let me pull out some things in which Joseph models Christ for us just in chapter 37. So first of all, we see Joseph's sinlessness. We see that he is blameless, not that he was never, not that he never sinned. Of course, we believe he was a sinner, but in the midst of all the terrible sin that we see in this chapter and all the ways in which he is mistreated, never do we see Joseph committing a sin. And of course, this reminds us of the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about how the way he was led like a lamb, like a sheep being led to the slaughter who didn't open up his mouth. And think about the way in which he experienced such reviling. And he did not revile and return, as 1 Peter 3 says. So we see Joseph's sinlessness. We also see this, that he is the beloved son of his father. who is highly favored. And if I use the phrase beloved son, who do you think of but the Lord Jesus Christ? We think of the words of the father at the baptism of Christ when he says, you are my beloved son and you, this is my beloved son and you I am well pleased or in him I am well pleased. I'm forgetting the language of that text right now. So with his sinlessness, being a beloved son of his father, highly favored. You also have this, that the father has these wayward, rebellious children. And then he sends his beloved son to them. As you look at the passage in verse 13, or end of verse 13, what is Joseph's reply to his father's commission? What does he say? Here I am. And maybe this reminds you as it reminds me of Isaiah's reply to his divine commission. Here I, here am I, send me. That's his response. And then Joseph comes to his own and his own receive him not. Even as we see happen with the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, I just quoted a verse about the Lord Jesus. It's in John chapter one. So he comes to his own, his own to receive him not. For Christ, that is his own people, but also his own natural brothers. So John 7, 5, it says that not even his brothers believed in him. When I say his natural brothers, of course, let me clarify. We believe that Christ was born of a virgin. He is a divine nature. But we also believe that he is truly of our flesh. He is a true man. And so, that's why we can say that. Then we see this. So who's the one that betrays Joseph? His name is Judah. And we have read about him. And in chapter 38 next week, Lord willing, we're gonna see how the Lord deals with Judah. Is there a disciple whose name sounds like Judah? There is, Judas. And indeed, this is actually the same name. You have a Greek form of this Hebrew name, Judah. So Judas would have been named after the patriarch, Judah. And in this chapter, he follows in his footsteps. And he sells the Lord Jesus just as Judah sold Joseph for a miserable sum of silver. We see that as well. But also here, let me note, and it's hard for me to resist this, there is another prominent figure in the Bible who has the name of Judah. And he wrote a book of scripture. His name is Jude. So all three of these men have the same name. And I just mentioned how Jesus's brothers did not believe in him. That doesn't mean that God never changed their hearts. Do you have someone like Jude in Matthew 13, 55? He is listed as one of Jesus's brothers. And we know that this man, or we have good reason to think that this man authored the book of scripture that is named after him. And as you read the first line of that book, how does he identify himself? He doesn't even say that he's a brother of Christ. He says, Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, or a slave of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James. He doesn't just say Jesus, but Christ, Messiah. Saying, this person that I did not used to believe in, he is indeed the Messiah. So we have this man Judah who betrays him for a sum of silver. You also have this, these differing parties that come together and who conspire together for a common evil cause. You have these Ishmaelite traitors who are working alongside these Israelite patriarchs. Now, these people should have been seen, I think that they would have been seen, or they should have been seen this way as these distant relatives who are rivals. Of course, they know that God's blessing of covenant lineage had not been given to them, to the children of, let's see if they're Ishmael, to the children of Ishmael, but rather to to Isaac. But here they come together for this common cause, which reminds me of how the Jews and the Romans worked together, Herod and Pontius Pilate, who had little in common otherwise in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we also see this, how Joseph goes down to Egypt to a spiritual Sheol, to a spiritual grave, even as the Lord Jesus Christ would descend into the grave. And indeed, as we're reading through the book of Genesis, the very last line mentions Joseph laid in a coffin in Egypt. This is the kind of humiliation that must take place before you can have the exaltation of God's people who come out of Egypt. as the Lord Jesus Christ would ascend from the grave. He is the one who, although he was existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. Instead, he made himself of no reputation. He took on the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of man. He humbled himself, becoming obedient, even to the death of the cross. Humiliation. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him and granted him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. So we have these ways in which Joseph is like Christ. And perhaps as we're going through the rest of the Old Testament, we can see echoes of Joseph's character in other men that would typify Christ. So for example, commentators, scholars have seen similarities with Joseph in Moses, who is also a man who narrowly escaped death in his youth. He was also an Israelite who was mistaken for an Egyptian, who also married the daughter of a priest, and who also experienced great humiliation before exaltation. They also see this with Jehoiakim, who is the last king of Judah recorded in the book of 2 Kings. If you read the last three or four verses of 2 Kings, you will see things that might remind you of Joseph, how you have this imprisoned man who is in exile, who is then released and given some exalted status. And also one who is a precursor to an exodus. So in a similar way that Joseph, you see this happening with him, it's a precursor to the exodus from Egypt with King Jehoiachin. We might have a precursor to God's exodus out of Babylon. So we have these various ways in which Joseph is like Christ. But I don't think we should stop there. It's not enough to show you the ways in which they are similar. But what about the ways in which Christ is greater than Joseph? The ways that he surpasses him. And here we really see the glory of the Lord Jesus to shine. So as we look at Joseph, we see a man who merely gave prophecy like any other person could have done. He received the word of God. He had to receive it himself before he could share it with others. but not so with the Lord Jesus. He is the one who, as a certain friend of mine has said, he just speaks and a Bible verse comes out. He doesn't have to receive the special revelation and to wait upon his father, but he indeed is God himself. So he utters forth the word of God. And Jesus not only is described as blameless in the sense of having no sins mentioned about him, but he truly is sinless, a man, a perfect man. who never sinned. Also note that Joseph, of course, is not part of the Messianic line. Jesus would not descend from Joseph, but from another brother whom we will look at next week. So in this sense, Joseph is not a forerunner of Christ in the sense of being one of his ancestors. Also note, what is Jesus's What is his earthly father's? His legal father's name. Of course, I mentioned he was born of a virgin, but he had a legal father. In the legal, not the biological sense, his name is Joseph. And Jesus is going to surpass Joseph. He's going to come after him. Also notes that Jesus was not merely sold unto slavery in Egypt, but he was sold and delivered unto death. He was not only just given over, but he gave himself over to suffering. And he not only suffered because his brothers sinned, but he suffered on account of the sins of the world. So we have these ways in which the Lord Jesus is different from Joseph, where he far surpasses him. As we look at these differences, that should cause us to see Jesus, of course, as in a totally different category, as the one who truly is God, the only Savior of our sins. And so we see this first point of doctrine being the Lord Jesus Christ. But also note the subject of sin. So we are second point of doctrine. And we see here the doctrine of total depravity. So as we read in the text, these brothers could not speak peaceably to him. They could not speak shalom to him. In other words, They were unable to do what was right. They could not speak this. this word of peace to him. But what does scripture say about sin, about those who are enslaved in sin? This reminds me of Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, verses 7 and 8. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be, so then those who are in the flesh cannot please God. These men do not speak a kind, loving word to Joseph because they cannot. They cannot please God because their hearts are not renewed. They are unable to do what is good, and they will remain in this state until the Lord God works a renewing work, a transformative work within their hearts. So we see total depravity. the inability to do what is right. We also see their hatred for godliness, and a hatred for godliness without a cause, which also reminds me of the Lord Jesus, who in John 15, verse 15-25, he quotes a psalm that says, they hated me without cause, or they hated me without a reason. So you have hatred for the godly and undue hatred. And on another side of that, we can also say that it's probably a bad thing if you are universally liked. So Luke 6.26 says something like, woe to you when all men speak well of you. So just because you can have a man like a preacher who is widely hated by the world, that does not mean that he is doing something wrong any more than you can have a preacher that is loved by the world and it means that he is doing something right. So instead, let us judge with righteous judgment, as Christ has said. We also see the sin of despising the word of God, which Joseph's brothers were doing. Now, as I mentioned, they, maybe I mentioned this, that they would have been familiar with the concept of receiving God's word. They might have heard that, they probably, they certainly did, from Jacob, and then from Isaac, all the way back to Abraham, and they knew that this is a way that God speaks to their family. This is the way that God intervenes in their family, that God speaks to them. And because of this, his brothers might actually have believed that God spoke to Joseph. They might actually have heard these dreams and believed it was the word of God. And the very fact, and let's say that that they did believe this. That makes their crime against him all the more heinous. They're not only committing a sin against a national brother, a terrible crime, but also rebelling against God's word. Instead of rejoicing with God's word, he has showed this kind of favor to Joseph, which is what they should have done. So how many people today hate what the word of God says? Many people. It's unpopular. The natural mind is not going to comprehend and naturally receive the Word of God. How many people will take this out, their hatred of God's Word, on the messenger? What you see with Joseph and Joseph's brothers is not a unique thing. God's messengers are attacked by the world for the message that they are given. How often are preachers and Christians seen as arrogant? because they believe and they teach what the Word of God says. How often are they called prideful because they say there is only one way to God, through Jesus Christ, and anyone who does not approach God through Jesus Christ will not enter heaven, but will endure the pains of hell forever. We hear this. What we see with Joseph is a truth that we see here today as well. There's another sin I want to bring up here. I think this is a sin we see in the text. Maybe you didn't expect this, but it is possible with Jacob, I believe, to grieve too much over things that it is right and good to grieve over. What does it say about Jacob at the end of the text? It says that he refused to be comforted and he said, for I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning. Was it good for Jacob to mourn for his son? Yes, but to mourn in this way. It's certainly possible to set too much hope on people and in things, and to have your hope and your trust be in the wrong things. And Paul says that we do not sorrow as those who have no hope. We indeed should sorrow, but we should have a certain hope, as Jacob should have had for his son. And I think of David, how he grieved for the death of his son, and he says, He will not come to me, but I will go to him. And David was comforted. And I submit him to you as a better model of how to grieve. Although I won't say necessarily that it's wrong to grieve after your loved one has died at all. But also, on the other hand, it is wrong not to grieve at things like this, I believe. Perhaps you've heard of people who, instead of having a somber funeral, would like to have a joyful celebration of life for people, and not to be sorrowful when they die, but to rejoice. But isn't that unnatural? Because death itself is not a natural part of life. It is something that is grievous. So that grief is only natural to be there. And I'm going to say, it should be there. So we have certain sins in this text. Another point of doctrine, and our third one here, is that of God's providence. Of course, this is a theme that is almost unmistakable as we go through Joseph's story. And we see here how God is orchestrating this marvelous plan. And we know Genesis 50, verse 20, where Joseph says to his brothers, that you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. So let us also not miss God's providence as we read a text like this. And especially as we see how it pictures for us and how it sets the stage for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in certain ways. So we have seen some points of exposition and some points of doctrine. And now we come to some application from the text. And first of all, and I would be remiss to miss this, but let us look at Jesus Christ. As we go through a text like this, how can we not see Christ and see Him lifted up and exalted in the sense that we should worship Him? So look to Christ, brother and sister. Look to the one who is the great ruler, the one that is now exalted, that all nations may come to Him, that all nations may come to Him for the bread of life. So come to Christ, receive Christ, and eat this bread of life. Partake of this bread of life that you may live forever. And in God's providence tonight, we observe the Lord's Supper. We have a wonderful symbol of this. in which our souls partake of Christ in the Lord's Supper, even as our mouths partake of the bread. And even as our bodies are nourished by the food, our souls are nourished as we partake of Christ spiritually by faith. So see Christ, look to Christ, come to Christ, and be nourished by Christ. also here, let us cling to the word of God, let us cling to God's promises. So we think about Joseph as the one who, through all of his trials and all of his tribulations that he went through, he would have had this word of God that was in his mind. How could he possibly forget the way in which God had spoken to him in these dreams, and how could he not have clung to these by faith, even as he was tempted in a terrible way, as we see in chapter 39 with Potiphar's wife. and did not sin, but also remember that you have far more revelation than Joseph did. You do not simply have a few dreams, as great and miraculous as that is. You have the entire written word of God, 66 books, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and unlike Joseph, you see the Lord Jesus Christ written plain and clear. So what excuse is there for us not to trust in God's promises, not to trust in God's word? What excuse is there for us when we are tempted with sin, with things we know are so terrible, and yet we fall into them? There is no excuse, brother and sister. We must cling to God's word. We must hold fast to that. There are certain promises that we need to hold to. I'll go through a few of them. The promise of salvation. That there is salvation for those who come to Christ in faith. Forgiveness of their sins, as we saw this morning. There is a promise of assurance, because God's word does not only promise salvation, but also promises assurance of salvation, and it gives the Christian It tells the Christian that we can be assured that we have been saved. So let us look to God's promises. Let us look to the inward working of the Holy Spirit, His testimony within us for assurance of salvation. What about the growth in God's means of grace and sanctification, the fact that we can really be putting off our sins, that we can put off the old man, be renewed in the spirits of our minds and put on the new man. We really can overcome our sins. The Lord has promised this. The believer does overcome his sins. This is a promise from scripture. Let's cling to God's promises. Also, God blesses those who are faithful. Those who are simply doing what is right and honoring the Lord. Not all look different based on your station in life. The Lord honors that. The Lord blesses those who are faithful to him. So we see that application. How about this? To love your brothers and sisters in Christ. We see a fantastic example of how not to do that with Joseph's brothers who display in an extraordinary fashion a hatred for their own brother. We should not be hating our brothers in our hearts. We should love them, unlike these who were clear unbelievers. And God's word gives us directions on how we are to do this. We cannot exhaust those in a time like this. Perhaps if you were just to go through 1 Corinthians 13 and read about how love is patient and love is kind, you will see the way in which God desires that we would love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We'll see how love bears all things and believes all things and hopes all things and endures all things. So we should love our brothers and sisters in the Lord. How about this, let us make things right when we sin and we know that we have done wrong. Especially when we know that our brother whom we have wronged, who is offended, he is aware of this and he is hurt. Should we let our offended brother or sister go on hurting after the sin in which we have wronged them? Or should we go and make things right with them? Just think of Jacob, for how many years he suffered, thinking that his son was dead, that he would never see him again. And all these brothers could have spoken a word to him. They could have come back and said, you know, he didn't die. We sold him to Egypt. We can go now, and maybe we'll find him. There might be some hope, but they did not give that in. Let us not treat our brothers and sisters in this way. If you look at Matthew 5, 23 to 24, we see how great, what is the great importance and even the priority of making things right with the brothers in the Lord that you have wronged. And it speaks even in the context of worship. And if there's this gift that you're gonna offer on the altar, and if you have this brother that thinks you have wronged him, go and make things right with him before you offer your gift on the altar. And also, we have the application, and our final one here, of humiliation and exaltation. What does scripture say? That God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So, dear Christian, do not exalt yourself, that the Lord may humble you. But instead, what do you want? To humble yourself, as Scripture says, that the Lord may exalt you. And in so doing, you will be imitating, and the Lord God will be forming you into the image and likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ, who also was greatly humbled, far lower than we will humble ourselves ever, and is greatly exalted, far more than any creature can possibly be. So in this text, we see how God has his way with Joseph and the way in which he is honored and Christ is set forth. And let us pray that the Lord God will apply these truths to our hearts and remember them and that he will be honored in all that we do this week. Amen, let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, the way that you speak to us. You speak to us in a way that is far greater than the way that you speak to Joseph. For in times past, you spoke to our fathers through these various ways and in these various times. But in the last days, you've spoken to us through your Son, who is the heir of all things, through whom also you created the world. So dear Heavenly Father, let us look to Him and worship Him. And even tonight as we approach the Lord's Supper, let He feed our souls as we partake of the bread that you have ordained for us. In Christ's name, amen.