Morning.
I’d like to read just a few places in the Scripture—a couple from the Old Testament, and then some from the New Testament—as we share about Joseph this morning. Beginning in Genesis 37, these are stories you’re familiar with. We’ll read verses 2 through 11.
These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives.
And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.
These are his brothers, by the way.
And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was a son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.
And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
And he said to them, “Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamt: behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.”
And his brethren said to him, “Wilt thou indeed be king over us? Wilt thou indeed rule over us?”
And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
And he dreamt yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, “Behold, I have dreamt another dream; and behold, the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
And he told it to his father and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, and bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”
And his brethren envied him, but his father kept the saying.
And then, in the last chapter of this book, we’ll turn to Genesis 50. I think you probably also know these passages. I think we’ll begin in verse 14.
And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brethren, and all that had gone with him to bury his father.
And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, “If now Joseph should be hostile to us, and should indeed requite of us all the evil that we did to him.”
And they sent a messenger to Joseph, saying, “Thy father commanded before he died, saying, ‘Thus shall ye speak to Joseph: Oh, forgive, I pray thee, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did evil to thee.’ And now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father.”
And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and said, “Behold, we are thy bondmen.”
And Joseph said to them, “Fear not: am I then in the place of God? Ye indeed meant evil against me; God meant it for good, in order that He may do as it is this day, to save a great people alive. And now, fear not: I will maintain you and your little ones.”
And he comforted them and spoke consolingly to them.
And then I just want you to go to the last book of the Bible and read some verses. Again, I think you’re quite familiar with Revelation 2 and 3. All of these are the letters to the seven churches of Asia.
To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: These things says He that holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him that overcomes, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
And to the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: These things says the First and the Last, who became dead and lived.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He that overcomes shall in no wise be injured in the second death.
And to the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: These things says He that has the sharp two-edged sword.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him that overcomes, to him will I give the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he that receives it.
And to the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, He that has His eyes as a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass.
And he that overcomes, and he that keeps unto the end My works, to him will I give authority over the nations; and he shall shepherd them with an iron rod; as vessels of pottery are they broken in pieces, as I also have received from My Father; and I will give to him the morning star.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: These things says He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars.
He that overcomes, he shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith the Holy, the True, He that has the key of David, He who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one shall open.
He that overcomes, him will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out at all; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assembly.
And to the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, and the beginning of the creation of God.
He that overcomes, to him will I give to sit with Me in My throne, as I also have overcome and have sat down with My Father in His throne.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assembly.
Lord, we commit Your Word to You. We’re dependent, we tell You again and again, upon the Holy Spirit to breathe life into these words that we’ve read.
We’re not here to read stories and share things just about men, but we want to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. And as we do that, we come and bow in humility and say, “You alone, You alone, have the words of eternal life.”
To whom shall we go? Speak, Lord, as we wait upon You and come to You and ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Well, I think you probably know by now—or at least should know by now—that we’ve been sharing on the last four men in the book of Genesis.
Genesis means origin. It’s the beginning. It also means beginnings. And in this book of beginnings, or all these multiple biographies, we’re not taking up all those, but we are focusing upon the last four men.
We’re focusing upon Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, whom we covered last week. And finally, today, we’re going to look at Joseph.
I think these are very remarkable stories that are given to us in the Bible. And these—I’ve warned you, I’ve said it over and over; I know you may tire of me saying it—but these are not just biblical history.
Paul the apostle, to the Corinthian believers, says, “These things happened to them as types, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the ages have come.”
I believe the Lord, for a reason, said to Moses when He revealed Himself in that burning bush, “I AM THAT I AM.” And four times He said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
And He said something even more remarkable. He said, “This is My name forever.” Imagine. And He said something even more remarkable: “This is My memorial to all generations.”
Well, we’ve been looking, and just to tell you one thing real quickly: you have to see what Abraham saw if you’re going to live the Christian life. He was the epitome of the spirit of revelation.
The God of glory revealed Himself to Abraham. And if we see what Abraham saw, then we’ll respond as Abraham responded. He built four altars, and he gave himself to the One who gave all.
And then, if you look at Isaac, you know the verse. It says in Genesis 25, “Abraham gave everything to Isaac.” Isaac stands for the heir and the inheritance.
And I think that phrase in 1 Peter 1—“the incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in the heavens for you”—is the epitome of what Isaac stood for.
And how we need to see Isaac as the type, the shadow, of an even greater Heir: the Lord Jesus. And how remarkably we need to see that not only that, but we pass anything you could imagine: joint heirs with Christ.
And then, like Isaac, we need to lay hold of that inheritance. We need to dig wells and re-dig wells. And I believe, in a nutshell, that’s Isaac.
And of course, we looked at Jacob last week. I can’t think of a better New Testament phrase than the one out of Romans 8, where it says, “conformed to His image.”
It explains every dealing and every trial. God was working in this man, this man full of flaws, and He had an end in view. He set His love upon him, and He would not let him go. Every circumstance in his life was for the sole reason that he be conformed to the image of God’s Son.
And then we look at his beautiful end, and how this twister, this thrice liar, this supplanter, this heel-holder, this one who bargained with God, in the end is transformed from Jacob to Israel. It’s a beautiful story.
The one who stole the blessing became the blesser. And the one who, in the end, wanted everything for himself became the worshiper, leaning upon his staff.
I think that’s what it means: “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” We need to see that.
Now today, we’re going to look at Joseph. I don’t think there’s a better phrase, at least from my point of view—I know you may have a better point of view—than that New Testament phrase we read over and over: “He that overcomes.”
He is the last biography in Genesis. And when you look at Joseph, you see one who overcame in every circumstance—every circumstance.
And I believe, in the end, if I can put this in a nutshell, a simple way that even I can understand it, I think in the end God is looking for those that overcome. That’s why he’s last.
So important is this story of Joseph that we need to see what God is looking for in him.
Now, we’re going to look at three things—just three things. You know that’s my habit, and you’re probably used to it. If I told you four things one time, I think you would all be shocked and fall flat out on the floor.
But we’re going to look at Joseph’s circumstances. I believe if you see Joseph’s circumstances, they’ll be an encouragement to you where you live, and in your circumstances.
I believe we need to look at another thing. It’s absolutely important—not just his circumstances. We all might get depressed together. But we need to look at one who actually overcame in every circumstance.
I think that’s the story of Joseph, and that’s the closing story of Genesis. And then, I believe, we need to see that this call wasn’t just to Joseph. It’s to us. And the Bible concludes with a call to overcome.
So that’s where we’re headed. Let’s begin with Joseph’s circumstances.
You know, with Joseph, I think we see one who had great troubles, no doubt. We see one who had great troubles, and yet he triumphed.
Now, I believe the Bible is absolutely clear: we as Christians are not exempt from troubles. Don’t ever believe that. We’re never exempt from troubles. Joseph is a living illustration of that.
You remember when the Lord Jesus said in John 16:33, before He went to the cross, and He said to His disciples:
In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.
I think that’s true of us. So let’s begin to think about Joseph’s circumstances.
In Genesis 37, we’re introduced to Joseph and his circumstances. And let me say again, thirteen chapters—we won’t be able to cover them. I want us to zone in on this, “He who overcomes,” and look at things in one particular way to capture the essence of the life.
You know, when you speak of the word essence, it’s the indispensable quality that delineates the character of something. And that indispensable quality that delineates the character of Joseph surely is one who went through great troubles, and yet in the midst of those great troubles overcame in every circumstance.
Brothers and sisters, the encouragement in the end, I hope you’ll get, is that that’s possible for you and for me.
That’s why I think this person—Linda caught me last week calling them characters. She said, “I wish you wouldn’t call them characters. Sounds like somebody in a play.” I always learn things after I share that I shouldn’t share.
So, these great men of God—not so great in the beginning—were changed by the work of God.
Now look at Genesis 37. In short, I think Joseph’s circumstances are this: he was loved by his father, and he was hated by his brothers.
But can you imagine? I had a brother. He’s now with the Lord. And I don’t think Flip ever hated me. Maybe sometimes I thought he hated me, and maybe sometimes I thought I hated him.
But in the end, when you read this story, three times it says they hated him. And they even wanted to kill him. Now, those are brothers you don’t need. With brothers like that, who needs enemies?
And you read in Genesis 37:3, “And Israel”—notice Jacob is transformed—“loved Joseph more than all his sons.” You might say, “It’s Joseph’s fault.” I mean, Jacob’s fault.
Because he was a son of his old age, and he made him a vest of many colours. And in verse 4 it says, “And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.”
What a story that is in Genesis 37. And you know, he was the dreamer.
Look at Genesis 37:5: “And Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.” It was a serious condition with his brethren. They hated him yet the more.
Now, of course, the dream didn’t help. You’ve got to admit, that dream didn’t help. You know, sometimes you say there are some things you should keep silent. But he didn’t, and God never intended it to be, because He wanted to teach a great lesson.
In Genesis 37:7:
Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about, and bowed down to my sheaf.
And his brethren said to him, “Wilt thou indeed be king over us? Wilt thou rule over us?” And this is the third time: “They hated him yet the more for his dreams and his words.”
What circumstances Joseph found himself in. The brothers were filled with hellish hate.
Now, Joseph didn’t quite learn his lesson, because he had another dream, and he decided to tell them that other dream. When you read verse 9, about the moon and the stars and the sun bowed down to me—now, it’s one thing, brothers and sisters, if your sheaf of wheat bows down before you. It’s quite another thing when the heavens bow down before you.
Who did Joseph think he was? The sun, the moon, and the stars? Even dear old Israel rebuked him with that one.
And then the brothers devised a plan. It says in verse 18, “They conspired against him to put him to death.” Now, that’s taking it a bit too far.
You can dislike someone, as we like to say in our genteel way. You may even hate someone, as we often wouldn’t want to confess. But I doubt you have conspired to kill someone.
These were Joseph’s circumstances. Look at Genesis 37:19–20:
And they said to one another, “Behold, there comes the dreamer.”
“Hey, hey, he’s the dreamer. He has a blasted coat on too.”
“Behold, there comes the dreamer; and now come and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil beast has devoured him’; and we will see what becomes of his dreams.”
They hated the dreamer. They cast him into the pit. You know the rest of the story. Only his brother Reuben’s intervention kept them from killing him and fulfilling their first desire, actually.
And then they cast him in the pit. And you remember the story of the Ishmaelites from Egypt that came by, and they sold him into slavery to the Ishmaelites.
Now think of it. This must have been, with these circumstances, a life in ruin. I mean, here he is, the beloved of the father. Here he is: God reveals things to him. It was God that gave him these dreams.
And here he is, thrice hated by his brothers. And here he is: they decide to kill him. And thank goodness for the intervention of Reuben. They threw him in the pit, and then when they threw him in the pit, they sold him to the Ishmaelites.
You know the story after that. He became a slave in Potiphar’s household. I mean, can it get any worse than this? You talk about a fall from grace—we like to use that phrase. What a fall from grace: from the favourite son with a special coat to a slave in Potiphar’s house.
I think these are terrific circumstances. And if that alone were the end of the story, we would possibly even weep along with Joseph and think, “How terrible, how terrible.”
But that’s not the end of the story. And the encouragement to us is this: this one that found himself in horrific circumstances learned, by the grace of God, to overcome in every one of those circumstances.
And we can too. That’s the beauty of the story.
Did you notice, if you’ve read—and I’m not going to be able to read thirteen chapters slow as I talk, and as slow as I read; we’ll be here all afternoon—but did you notice, when you’ve read in the past the stories about Joseph, his total lack of reaction? I think that’s incredible.
I mean, when the brothers said three times, “We hate you, you dreamer,” when they threw him in the pit, the Bible doesn’t record a single protestation from Joseph—not a single one.
When he was sold into slavery, you don’t hear this hue and cry about, “Why are you doing this to me?” I think that’s more than remarkable.
And here’s the secret, and I believe this is the secret to overcoming. Look at Genesis 39:2–6. I believe this is clear:
And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man.
Is there any greater secret to overcoming in your circumstances than this single great secret: that the Lord was with him, and he became a prosperous man? That’s the secret.
He knew the Lord’s presence. When he was hated by his brothers and mocked as a dreamer, he knew the Lord’s presence. When they came up with this idea to kill him, and to take that coat and smear it with the blood of a beast and take it to their father—and their father wailed in agony at the loss of his beloved son and could not be comforted—the Lord was with him.
The Lord was with him when he was in the pit. The Lord was with him when he was sold into slavery. The Lord was always with him.
Brothers and sisters, if I could have to stop—and some of you may want me to right now—that’s the one secret of overcoming I want you to remember.
See, it’s the great secret of overcoming. It’s the revealed secret of overcoming. When you look at the life of Joseph, the Lord was with him. That is always the secret, and this is the only way we can overcome.
Well, you look: his life doesn’t get any easier. You remember the story in Potiphar’s house. Potiphar’s wife—boy, she had eyes. We like to say this; I love you all here—she had eyes for Joseph.
You remember, boy, she lit on Joseph, and, you know, “Come, lie with me.” Now, this is a mixed-age crowd, and I don’t want to be so graphic, but you know what her intention was. And she stalked him.
You talk about a stalker. She stalked this poor man. And one day he made the mistake of showing up there alone, without the other men.
Now, by the way, I want to use this teachable moment. Billy Graham’s advice to us brothers is excellent: don’t you ever be alone with a woman that’s not your wife, okay? That’s good advice.
Just think, if he had heard Billy Graham say that, the trouble he would have saved himself. The problem is, Billy Graham lived much later.
And he innocently went in. And Potiphar raised him to a position of reigning over his things. That’s overcoming. In every circumstance, Potiphar put him in charge.
He overcame in those circumstances, being at least verbally assaulted by Potiphar’s wife. Potiphar, unknowing.
And you remember, he showed up that one day, and again those words: “Lie with me.” And she grabbed hold of his garment, and you remember, he ran out of the place minus one garment.
And then when the men of the house came back, she said, “This Hebrew, he has come to mock me.” And she told Potiphar, and Potiphar threw him in the tower house.
Now, the tower house—it’s the prison, you know. He goes from the pit to the prison.
And this tower house isn’t like some of our prisons, where we get three square meals a day and cable TV, and we have to wear the same clothes, maybe, like everybody else, and they’re locked in a cell and lose privileges. This was the tower house.
There was no extra-special prisoner care in the tower house. Let me put it that way.
So he was cast into that tower house, and so dark was that place, you would think it would be the ruin of Joseph. But again, it wasn’t the ruin.
As a matter of fact, Psalm 105:18—I know you’re familiar with that verse. I’ll read it in Darby first. This is speaking of Joseph, by the way:
They afflicted his feet with fetters; his soul came into irons.
Now, that’s one of the better renditions of that verse, but it’s not the best. You know how prejudiced I am to Darby’s version, but it’s not the best. I like Young’s Literal Translation. As far as I know, it’s the only one that does this in English. There may be others.
But Young’s Literal reads:
They afflicted with fetters his feet; iron entered his soul.
Think of that. Those are terrible circumstances. Iron entered his soul.
But look at Genesis 39:21–23. I think this man knew a secret that we must know if we’re going to overcome:
And the Lord was with Joseph once again, and extended mercy to him, and gave him favour in the eyes of the chief of the tower house.
Here he was in the tower house, and the chief of the tower house committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the tower house; and whatever they had to do there, he did.
The chief of the tower house looked not to anything under his hand because, listen to this, the Lord was with him. And what he did, the Lord made it prosper.
I think that’s his secret—the great secret. It’s the secret that needs to be written upon our hearts.
Brothers and sisters, I don’t know where your prison is. I don’t know what your prison is. I don’t know what your pit is, but I know that you have the same God that Joseph had, and I know that I have the same God that Joseph had.
And in that dark, lowest pit, deepest pit, and in that darkest prison, it can become a palace of light. That’s what happened. That’s how he overcame.
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the story of Samuel Rutherford—I don’t know if you ever have—and his letters. It’s a Christian classic, three hundred-some-odd letters. But this Scottish preacher was put into prison.
And he wrote these letters to his congregation, letters of comfort and letters of grace, letters of how God kept him and how He will keep you in this prison house.
And he said this—these were his own words—“My prison is a palace to me.” Can you imagine?
Can you say that of your circumstances?
He went further to say, “And Christ banqueting hall.” I don’t know. If these were your circumstances, would that be your testimony?
That is one who overcomes in all of his circumstances.
And you know, when he was in that tower house and thrown into prison, I don’t see a single complaint. I read. I looked for a complaint. I was hoping Joseph was more like me.
I was hoping I could find it and say, “Well, you see, Joseph did it. I can do it.” But no, he never complained. Not once.
You know, it says in Genesis 40:15—this is the closest thing you’ll find in a complaint. He was telling this, you remember, to the cupbearer whose dream he interpreted.
He said—well, verse 14, let’s start there:
Only bear a remembrance with thee of me when it goes well with thee, and deal kindly, I pray thee, with me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.
And this is what he said:
For indeed I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that I should be put into this dungeon.
Is that a complaint? To me, it’s a statement of fact.
How different Joseph was than I am. How different Joseph, in his circumstances, was than you and I are.
This is what we need to do—two things. We need to see that the God of glory is with us wherever we are: the great secret of overcoming. And we need to be careful lest we complain, because we’re apt to.
Well, if you don’t believe me, ask Linda. She’ll tell you the truth.
But the story goes on and on. It seems to get worse.
Well, the dream—I’ll mention that briefly, going on. You know, Pharaoh’s cupbearer basically would drink the cup, and if he fell over dead, poisoned, he saved Pharaoh. But we’ll get you another cupbearer. That’s the lesson. Don’t ever apply for that job, by the way.
And then the king had a baker. You remember the baker, and they both had dreams: the three vines and the three baskets. You know the story.
And what happened, basically, is the cupbearer was restored to Pharaoh. And that’s why he said these words: “Remember me when you go to Pharaoh.” And he didn’t utter a single word of complaint.
And then the baker didn’t have it so well. You remember the baker, the birds eating at the baskets. Pharaoh hung the baker, and the birds of the air ate his head. So, not such a good ending for the baker.
So what happened? These circumstances get deeper and deeper as you read the life of Joseph. What happened then is the cupbearer forgot Joseph.
Now, you know, you’ve saved this guy’s life. If I saved your life, I would expect some return gratitude, by the way. If I pulled you out in front of a bus running down the street, I would at least expect a thank you.
But this appeal to remember me to Pharaoh—he forgot him altogether. And he languished in the prison house, the tower house, for two more years.
And then you know the story. Pharaoh had a dream. You remember the seven kine, the seven ears of corn. The first seven were fat and well-fed and grazing upon the reed grass, and then the seven that followed were sickly and ill-fed.
And then he had another series of seven dreams, the corn. The first seven were corn that was so healthy and so good, and the second seven were corn that was sickly and wasted and terrible, to put it in my own words.
But what ended up happening is none of the wise men and the scribes could interpret the dream when Pharaoh called them all. And then, lo and behold, after two years, the cupbearer remembered old Joseph, the interpreter of dreams, back in the tower house.
And he was brought out of the tower house and, of course, you all know the story—how he interpreted that dream. And by the grace of God, he was brought to the highest kingdom, right next to Pharaoh.
Can you imagine? That’s overcoming. He was raised to the throne, second in command. Only Pharaoh could object.
And of course, those dreams were about the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine, which actually brought Jacob and his brethren down to Egypt to even survive.
Now, I think Joseph learned something in this. I believe he learned the secret to overcoming.
You remember that dream, the bowing down. That isn’t the secret at all. He thought, “My sheaf rose up and your sheaves bowed down.” He thought, “The stars, and the moon, and the sun bowed down.”
But he learned the secret of overcoming is not others bowing down, but you laying your life down for others. What a lesson.
He laid his life down. He became Pharaoh’s number two, and he saved a nation. If it were not for Joseph’s overcoming, you wouldn’t be here today, because the whole of Israel was saved.
Pharaoh even gave him a name which I have difficulty pronouncing, and it means “saviour of the people.”
And of course, in Hebrew, it means interpreter of dreams. But this one learned the secret of overcoming was laying down his life for his brethren.
He learned the secret of overcoming: it’s not about me.
Now listen, in this United States, we need to say this: everything’s about me. Forgive me. I mean, I think we all think we raise up our children thinking about me.
And the secret to overcoming in all of his circumstances was he thought of others. He thought of the cupbearer. He thought of the baker.
He even did everything he could do for the captain of the lifeguard, the head of the tower house, and even Pharaoh. It was always about others.
I’ll never forget—I hope I don’t embarrass poor Steve Marr—the thing he shared with me some months ago about others. I’ll never forget it.
And he told about a grandmother, and the great influence that grandmother had upon him when he was fourteen years old. And when she was buried, he didn’t understand much, but he saw this.
I suppose, Steve, her name and her birth date and death date were on that headstone at her grave, but there was one word—one word—on this woman’s headstone. And that word was “Others.”
Can you imagine? If that were your testimony, you would be an overcomer.
It’s not about me. It’s about others. That’s what he learned.
It wasn’t about him. It was about his father, his dear father, if you read the rest of the story. It wasn’t about him. It was about his brothers, who threw him in a pit and hated him, and even conspired to kill him.
He could hardly face them when they came in that famine to Egypt. They would talk to him, and you read this story so vivid and so real: he would turn his back in tears and go into the other room, brokenhearted for others.
Do you get the point? This is the secret to overcoming. This is an overcomer’s perspective. This is what Joseph learned.
Look at Genesis 50. I think that’s so powerful. Every Christian, I think, knows this verse—verse 20.
You know, these guys must have been in mortal fear. I can’t imagine. Their dad is dead, and he can’t stand up for us.
I’m not sure Joseph ever said this story. I think they may have made it up out of whole cloth. You’ve heard that expression. If you haven’t heard that expression, I’m sorry. They made it up anyway, I believe.
And they said, “Now our father, before he died, said, ‘You need to forgive us.’” That’s what they said. “Forgive all the things that we did to you and all of our sin.”
And it says, “For they did evil to thee. Now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father.”
And listen to Joseph. This is so striking. This is in verse 17, beginning in verse 18: “And Joseph wept.”
Am I losing everybody? I hear some—Genesis 50. Did I say that? Did I lose you all? Okay, I can lose people, by the way. That’s a habit I have, so keep me honest.
Genesis 50, end of verse 17: “And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and said, ‘Behold, we are thy bondmen.’”
What a switch. They never thought they would bow down before the dreamer. Think of it. They never thought the moon and the sun and the stars would bow before this dreamer.
But he was number two in command of the whole world—Egypt, the power of the world, the greatest power that had ever been. They bowed down.
And instead of him saying, “Well, you finally got it. You understood the dreams I told you before you threw me in the pit, and bloodied the coat and put dear father into shock, and he almost died on the spot”—instead, he said these words in verse 20:
Ye indeed meant evil against me; God meant it for good, in order that He might do as it is this day, to save a great people alive.
Verse 21:
And now fear not: I will maintain you and your little ones.
And he comforted them, and he spoke consolingly to them.
What an overcomer. What a story that is. What a powerful, powerful story.
I think there’s one word. I think that one word is others.
Are you living for yourself, or are you living for others? I think we have to ask ourselves that question. That is the very secret of overcoming.
Now this last point, after we see this one that overcame in all of his circumstances, comes from what we read in Revelation.
I know you all know those verses about the seven assemblies. But I believe the fact that those words are reserved for the last book of the Bible, and I believe the fact that those words are repeated to every single church of Asia—the seven churches in Revelation—shows the importance of this subject we’re dealing with.
That phrase repeated again and again: “He that overcomes. He that overcomes. He that overcomes.”
And it’s reinforced by the Holy Spirit that says, “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
Indeed, those circumstances in those seven churches were entirely different. Some so desperate; some not so desperate.
But God was looking, and God was calling, out of every single assembly, in the end, those that would overcome.
I think you’re familiar with this point. Brother Stephen laboured over this point in recent years. You remember how many times—Brother Stephen, I’m glad he’s not here; I can speak more freely—you remember how he laboured and laboured again and again about the overcomer?
I know some people don’t even like that word. I know some people actually thought Brother Sparks maybe had a few screws loose—because he talked about it. Forgive me, Brother Sparks.
I would say a name, but I don’t want to blemish that brother’s name. He said, “Rubbish. Overcomers, rubbish.”
But it is the call at the end. It is the single call at the end. And the Holy Spirit makes such a point of it.
Whether you’re Sardis, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Pergamum, Laodicea, or any of these places, that same call came. And it says, “He that overcomes.”
And then, after every one of those calls, the great blessing. Read those seven instances: the great blessing that will be poured upon us if we just respond.
Well, I think the whole Bible, I’ve said this before, is about two things: call and response.
God has been calling man from the beginning, and He’s always looking for a response. The call is no question; it’s always there. The response is the question.
Like Abraham, will we build an altar?
Like Isaac, will we dig the well?
Like Jacob, will we build the pillar and ourselves be transformed to a pillar of testimony?
This is the message, I think, that concludes the Bible. A few more secrets are revealed. I’ll finish with this: Revelation 12:10–12. You know these verses.
And I heard a great voice in the heavens saying, “Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ; for the accuser of our brethren has been cast out, who accused them before our God day and night.
And they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they have not loved their life even unto death.
Therefore be full of delight, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great rage, knowing his time is short.”
Three things. Three things. We make the Christian life way too complicated.
You know, it’s kind of like my golf swing. I made it—which isn’t very good, by the way—but I remember I could hit the ball fairly well till I took lessons.
And then that pro took me and made me start thinking about all the things I need to do: get your head straight, get your stance straight, get your hands right, look down on the ball, follow through.
By the time of the first lesson, she said, “Boy, quit your day job,” the way I hit that seven iron. The fourth lesson, she said, “I don’t know what happened to you.”
She jerked the club out of my hand. Jerked it out, and they were my clubs. And she was ready to give up.
But we make it way too complicated, you know—way too complicated. Overcoming’s not that complicated. You think it’s complicated, but it’s a threefold recipe.
You think, “I can never overcome in all of my circumstances. I could never be a Joseph.” But look: three things.
“And they overcame him by reason of the blood of the Lamb.” Don’t ever think you’ll get to the place where you don’t need the blood of the Lamb.
Because I guarantee you, the day you get to the place to think you don’t need the blood of the Lamb is the day you will fall flat on your face.
We always need the blood. It says in 1 John 1:7, “And the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”
And then it says, “By reason of the word of their testimony.” As a matter of fact, there’s a problem with that word.
I used to think—well, I grew up in charismatic circles. Wow, saved. I was in charismatic circles, and we always were giving our testimony.
But if you read Revelation, there’s a phrase that’s different: the testimony of Jesus.
And the testimony of Jesus—that special phrase occurs in Revelation a number of times, beginning with John in chapter 1 on the Isle of Patmos.
And then when John fell down and worshiped the angel, they told him, “Don’t bow down and worship us. I am of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus.”
Their testimony was not their testimony. Do you get the point? Can I make it any clearer? Their testimony was not their own testimony.
Their testimony—and the secret to overcoming—is who Jesus is. It’s not who I am. If it depended on who I am, you would all run out of the room screaming.
That is the secret to overcoming. Look at 1 John 4:4:
Ye are of God, children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
That’s the secret. That was the secret with Joseph when he was in a pit: the Lord was with him. That was the secret of Joseph when he was in the tower house. That was the secret of Joseph when he was at Potiphar’s house. That was the secret of Joseph when he was on the throne of Egypt.
I think it needs to be our secret.
“And they loved not their lives even unto death.” That’s a strange way. Christians don’t like that verse, you know?
A lot of us have bought into this whole worldly idea of self-love. You know, God never mentions in the Bible—I dare you to find it—that God loves Himself.
Jesus never said, “I love myself.”
Now, I know, I don’t want fragile, poor little souls here, dainty little souls that we need to give everybody a trophy and tell them how great they are day in and day out, and hopefully they’ll believe it and succeed.
But they loved not their lives even unto death. Now, does that mean—I see another extreme. I don’t know if y’all see it, but I see people who seem to always say, “Well, I’m no good. You know, I’m the worst thing God ever made, and nobody can stand me. And when I walk in the room, everybody walks out of the room. And woe is me.”
I don’t think it says that either. I think this is that secret Joseph understood: it was others.
They loved not their life even unto death. It wasn’t a negative thing. It was a positive thing.
Well, this is the great secret of overcoming.
It says in Revelation 21:7:
He that overcomes shall inherit these things; and I will be to him God.
This, to me, is the story of Joseph: he that overcomes.
I hope these messages have been helpful. I hope you’ve seen something in Abraham. And more importantly, I hope you respond like Abraham responded.
I hope you’ve seen that great inheritance, unparalleled in Isaac, and cooperate and dig those wells to lay hold of what’s been made yours in Christ.
I hope, like Jacob, although you are what you are, you allow the Holy Spirit to deal with you in every circumstance, and you’re transformed and conformed to the image of God.
And I hope, like Joseph, though your circumstances may be something that you cannot imagine, in those circumstances you discover the One that’s with you.
And you discover the secret of overcoming. And you see, it’s not about you, but it’s about others.
And then what you’ll discover is that sevenfold blessing that’s written to the seven churches in Asia. May the Lord help us.
Lord, we just take these things back to You and ask You, Holy Spirit, to write upon our hearts something of what Your Word really means, even if I’ve missed telling what it means.
Write it upon our hearts.
Lord, the fact that You’re with us in every circumstance, it’s almost too much to take in, but it’s true.
The fact that You give us the secret to overcome is absolutely true. It was true of Joseph, and it can be true of us.
Would You anoint Your Word? Cause it to make a difference in our lives.
And may You have those, in the end, that respond to this call: “He who overcomes.”
In Jesus’ name. Amen.