Sermon #26 Series: Pictures of Grace in
Genesis
Title: Joseph Opening The
Storehouses - A Picture of Grace
Text: Genesis 41:55-57
Reading:
Subject: Joseph as a type of Christ
Date: Tuesday Evening - January 28, 1992
Tape
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Introduction:
Joseph
was so hated by his brothers that they “could
not speak peaceably unto him” (Gen. 37:4). Because he was so greatly loved
by Jacob, they envied him. Because God revealed to Joseph that he would one day
rule over them, his brothers were filled with jealousy. Therefore, being full
of jealousy, envy, and hatred toward Joseph, his brothers sold him into
slavery. But God was with Joseph. By several acts of divine providence, he
wound up in prison in Egypt. There he met the chief butler of Pharaoh’s court and
interpreted his dream. Later, when Pharaoh had a dream which none of the
magicians of Egypt could interpret, the chief butler remembered Joseph and told
Pharaoh about him (Gen. 41:1-14). Pharaoh called for Joseph and asked him to
interpret his troubling dreams; and Joseph did so. God revealed to Joseph that
there would be seven years of great abundance in the land of Egypt followed by
seven years of great famine (Gen. 41:28-32). Then, Pharaoh appointed Joseph to
be ruler over all the land of Egypt, second only to himself (Gen. 41:39-46).
The seven years of great abundance came, then the seven years of great famine.
Let’s pick up the story at verse 55. Read with me Genesis 41:55-57. The title
of my message tonight is Joseph Opening
The Storehouses - A Picture of Grace.
As I read this 41st chapter of
Genesis, there are numerous texts of Scripture which come to my mind. The
spiritual lessons to be gleaned from this chapter must not go unnoticed.
1. I see here an example of God’s Glorious Sovereignty. It is written,
“The king’s heart is in the hand of the
Lord, as the rivers of waters: he turneth it withersoever he will” (Prov.
21:1). It was no accident that Pharaoh dreamed what he did when he did. God’s
time had come for Joseph to be delivered from prison and exalted to a position
of great honor. Pharaoh’s dreams were but the instrument employed by God to
accomplish his purpose.
Indeed,
we see the hand of God in the whole history of Joseph. God was behind the
scenes, secretly, sovereignly accomplishing his own purpose. Nothing happened
by accident. God who is above all, ruled and overruled all the events recorded
in Genesis 37-50, all the creatures, and all their actions, good and bad, to
accomplish his will and purpose concerning Joseph and his chosen people (Gen.
45:5; 50:20; Isa. 46:9-11; Acts 4:26-28; John 6:37-39).
God’s
sovereignty, as it is revealed in the life of Joseph, extends to all men and
women, righteous and wicked, all the elements of nature, the weather, the crops
of the field, and the cattle, all the nations of the world, and even to the
dreams of men! “Our God is in the
heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psa. 115:3). “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in
heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and in all deep places” (Psa. 135:6).
2. This story of Joseph also
shows us that the Wisdom of this world
is foolishness. “Hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Cor. 1:20). “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Cor.
3:19).
In
Joseph’s time, Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, was the most advanced
civilization of the world. It was the center of learning, science, education,
culture, and philosophy. But the Egyptians were idolaters. Hence, they had no
true wisdom. The light they had was darkness. The magicians of Egypt was
impotent. All their wise men could not decipher the meaning of Pharaoh’s dream
and tell him what God was about to do. So pharaoh had to turn to Joseph, the
only man in the land who knew God, for instruction.
3. Does that not demonstrate
something of The wisdom of faith? Psalm
25:14 declares, “The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear him.” God makes known his counsels, his purposes,
and his truth, not to the wise, the mighty, the noble, and the great people of
the world, but to them that believe him. “The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” All true knowledge begins
with faith in Christ.
4. Joseph certainly
demonstrates the fact that “all things
work together for good to them that love the Lord, to them who are called
according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). How this story of Joseph
demonstrates the goodness of God’s providence toward his elect. How we need to
lay this to heart! We, too often, become so occupied with our present
circumstances that we forget the promise of God. That ought not to happen.
“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace. Behind the
frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.” Remember, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Eccles.
7:8). Saints of God, be of good cheer, faint not! Sorrow may endure for a
night, but joy “cometh in the morning.” So
it was with Joseph. For a season he suffered wrongfully, but in the end God
vindicated him and exalted him, so that he said, “God hath made me forget all my toil,” and “hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Gen.
41:51-52).
5. Certainly, Joseph stands
before us as An Example of faithfulness to
God. In the greatest trials, adversities, and surroundings, Joseph walked with
God. Though he had no godly companions and lived in a heathen land among
idolaters, he never became one of them. He maintained a strong testimony to the
truth of God and the grace of God. Even in Egypt, Joseph glorified God, and
there God honored Joseph, as it is written, “Them
that honor me I will honor” (1 Sam. 2:30).
Let us lay these five lessons to heart…
·
Our God sovereignly rules all things.
·
The wisdom of this world is foolishness.
·
“The secret of the lord is
with them that fear him.”
·
“All things work together
for good” to
God’s elect.
·
God honors those who honor him.
Proposition:
However,
this story of Joseph and his opening of the storehouses is intended by God the
Holy Spirit to reveal and magnify the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, and to
show us the grace of God in him.
I
cannot possibly explain all the parallels between Joseph and Christ that are to
be found in this chapter. There are simply too many.
1. As Joseph, in due time, was
delivered from prison, so Christ was raised from the dead at God’s appointed
time.
2. As Joseph was the revealer
of secrets, so Christ reveals the things of God to his people.
3. As Joseph warned of coming
danger, and urged men to make provision for it, so Christ warned sinners of the
wrath of God and urged them come to him for salvation.
4. As Joseph was wonderful in
counsel, so our Savior’s name is Wonderful Counselor.
5. As Joseph was exalted over
all of Egypt, so Christ has been exalted over all things.
6. As Joseph was worthy of his
exaltation, so Christ is worthy of his.
7. As Joseph was, upon his
exaltation, invested with the glorious apparel of Pharaoh, so Christ exalted is
clothed with the glory which he had with the Father before the world was made.
8. As Joseph’s power and
authority were publicly owned and acknowledged by all men, so all men shall one
day publicly own and acknowledge Christ as Lord.
9. As Joseph was given a wife
by Pharaoh, so God the Father has given his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, a
bride.
10. As Joseph’s marriage was
planned and arranged by Pharaoh, so the marriage of the Lamb was planned and
arranged by the Lord God in eternity.
11. As Joseph was 30 years old
when he began his life’s work, so the Lord Jesus Christ began his public
ministry when he was thirty years old.
12. As Joseph went forth on a
mission from Pharaoh’s presence, so Christ came into this world to do his
Father’s will.
13. As Joseph’s exaltation was
followed by a season of great plenty, so Christ’s exaltation was followed by a
time of great grace, poured out upon the earth.
14. As the years of plenty were
followed by years of famine, though Joseph was still on the throne, so these
last days, these perilous times, are years of great famine, though Christ is
still on his throne.
15. As in the days of famine,
Joseph opened the storehouses of Egypt to all who came to him, so now the Lord
Jesus Christ opens the storehouses of God’s abundant grace to all who come to
him.
In conclusion let me show you three things.
I.
JOSEPH OPENED THE
STOREHOUSES BY ROYAL AUTHORITY. (41:41, 44, 45).
Pharaoh
gave all things into Joseph’s hands, all food, all authority, all power. When
the people came to Pharaoh for anything, he said, “Go to Joseph!”
Even so, by God’s royal design and decree,
all things pertaining to life and godliness, all grace, all mercy, all
salvation, all life, and all heaven, have been given into the hands of the Lord
Jesus Christ. God the Father has put all things in Christ (John 3:35-36).
A. All power and authority belong to Christ (John 17:3).
B. All the fulness of the Godhead is in Christ (Col. 2:9-10).
C. All the
fulness of grace and glory are in Christ (John 1:16; Col. 1:19).
D. The only way
any sinner can get anything from God is to go to Christ. He has everything (Eph. 1:3-4).
E. Why? “For it pleased God!” God
is determined “that in all things Christ
might have the preeminence!”
II. JOSEPH WAS THE
ONLY FIT PERSON TO OPEN THE STOREHOUSES (41:53-55).
He
was the only one who knew what was going on and what must be done. Joseph had
prophesied that the famine would come. No one else knew about it. Joseph
planned the crops, and built the storehouses, and had them filled before the
famine came (41:35-36, 49).
Even
so, our Lord Jesus Christ is the only fit Person to open the storehouse of
God’s mercy, love, and grace to needy sinners.
A. As Joseph foreknew the famine in Egypt, though he did not cause it, our
Lord Jesus Christ foreordained the fall and famine of humanity, though he did
not cause it.
1. The fall of Adam and the
spiritual famine of his race are evident (Rom. 5:12, 19)..
2. These things did not take
God by surprise (Gen. 2:17).
B. As Joseph built the storehouses and filled them in anticipation of the
famine, so Christ, in the covenant of grace, provided for the needs of his
people before the world began.
1. The storehouse is God’s
covenant (Eph. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:9).
2. The provision is Christ, the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
Christ
filled the storehouse! In the fulness of time the Son of God came to this earth
in human flesh. He obeyed the law in order that his people might have perfect
righteousness before God. He died on the cross that we might be justified
through his blood. The storehouse is full. Let all who are hungry come. You
will find grace abundant and free in Christ!
·
Christ is the only One with Capacity
to contain all fulness.
·
Christ is the only One with Wisdom
to distribute all fulness.
·
Christ is the only One with eternality
to continue to be all fulness for evermore (2 Tim. 1:12; Phil. 3:20-21).
III. “AND JOSEPH OPENED ALL THE STOREHOUSES! (41:56).
Joseph became the savior of all people, Jews
and Gentiles. He opened the storehouses and dispensed the bread of life to the
perishing multitudes. His resources to do so were immeasurable (41:49). What
joy it gave to Joseph to see the people coming to him and to give them the
bread they needed!
A. That is why he built the storehouses in the first place and filled
them, so that the people might eat and live!
Christ became our Surety, our Substitute, and
our Sin-Offering, so that sinners might be saved by him (Matt. 1:21; 1 Tim.
1:15; Lk. 19:10).
B. Though the storehouses were filled, they would have brought no glory to
Joseph, and would have done no good for the people, if he had not opened them.
Joseph’s glory was not that he had plenty,
but that he was delighted to distribute it! This is the glory of our Redeemer -
“He delighteth in mercy!” He has plenty,
and he delights to distribute it. His chief glory is his goodness (Ex.
33:18-19). Our Savior cries to men, “Ho,
everyone that is thirsty, come ye to the waters!”
1. Christ is the Bread of Life.
He bids you to eat and live!
2. Christ is the Water of Life.
He calls you to come and drink!
C. Joseph opened
the storehouses “when the people cried
for bread” (41:55-56).
When
hungry sinners cry for bread, Christ opens the storehouse and feeds them (Matt.
7:9-11; Lk. 11:5-13).
1. Lost sinners who cry to him
will be heard (Rom. 10:13).
2. Needy believers who cry to
him will be heard (Heb. 4:16).
D. Joseph opened
the storehouses to all who came (41:57).
They
were opened not to the Egyptians only, but to all nations. All who came to
Joseph got bread. Even so, our Lord Jesus Christ opens the storehouse of grace
to all who come to him, Jew and Gentile, black and white, rich and poor, male
and female, old and young! (Matt. 11:28). “Whosoever
will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).
Jesus Christ is the mighty Savior, able and willing to save unto the uttermost
all who come to God by him (Heb. 7:25).
Application:
As
Pharaoh said to the people, “Go to
Joseph,” so I say to you, whatever your soul’s need is, “Go to Christ!”
1. He has all power and authority.
2. He alone can open the
storehouse of heaven.
3. He will open the storehouse
to all who come to him!
1.