In Touch Ministries

Guest (Male): You and I have the living Word of God, and as sure as He kept His promise to Joseph, He will keep His promises to us. Will we have heartache, problems, difficulties, pain, trials? Yes. That's not the issue. The issue is, how do we respond? When we keep our focus on God, we will not blame God. We will not blame others, and we will be able to have the same impact in the lives of other people that Joseph did. What is your focus on?

Keep your focus on God. Dr. Stanley's message says that's the most important truth to learn from Joseph's life. Welcome to In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. Our previous message in the In Step With God series laid the groundwork for our study. Today, we'll pick up the story with Joseph in an Egyptian jail as we learn how to keep our eyes on God through times of trial.

Dr. Charles Stanley: One of the most precious lessons I've learned, I learned as a result of simply reading the biblical characters, how they live their lives, their failures and all the rest. And some of those are like Joseph and David, Daniel and a few others.

But I found something in the life of Joseph that absolutely strengthened me and has been a part of that strength all these years. And if you ask him, "Do you believe in the one true God?" Yes. "Well, what's your evidence?"

Your brothers hated you. They threw you in a pit to die. You got sold in the caravan. You did your best in Potiphar's household. Now you're in jail. On what basis do you believe this God? Because he kept his focus upon God, not upon his circumstances.

One of the things that gets us in trouble, causes us to wobble in our faith, causes oftentimes for us to have more difficulty than we would have had if we had kept our focus on God. Remember, he didn't have a Bible. He had the truth of God in that dream, and the promise of God, plus what he had was the testimony of his father, how God had spoken to him.

And listen, he had to keep being reminded of the fact, if God spoke to his father in that dream, and his father believed that, then why should he doubt it if God would speak to him, whatever that dream may be? And so here he is now in jail.

And then something else happens. Because we come to the next phase of his life, still difficulty, pain, suffering, disappointment in lots of ways. And so Pharaoh's cupbearer, who serves him, and his baker, who bakes for him, they got thrown in jail. Then one night, both of them, the baker and the cupbearer have a dream.

And so the scripture says that he could tell that something had happened because they were so down. They were doing, he could tell something was happening, and so he asked them what was going on. And they were dejected, the Bible says. Then they said to him, "We've had a dream and there's no one to interpret it." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God?"

Always got his focus on God. Always. Whether he's in jail, in Potiphar's house, his focus is always on God. "Does not God interpret dreams?" And so they said, "Well, hear the dreams." Here's what the cupbearer said. He said, "I had this dream. And there was a vine and three branches, and it was budding. The blossoms came out, its clusters produced ripe grapes. Now, Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I put the cup in the Pharaoh's hands."

Joseph said, "I can tell what's going to happen. Three days, you're going to be restored to your position before Pharaoh." The chief baker saw that he'd interpreted favorably. He said to Joseph, "I also saw in my dream, and behold, there were three baskets and white bread on my head. And in the top basket, there was some of all sorts of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds came eating them out of the basket on my head. Hmm. Then Joseph then said, "This is its interpretation. Three days, Pharaoh is going to hang you."

Here's what happened. Three days, Pharaoh restored the cupbearer and he hanged the baker. But here's what Joseph said to him. He said now to the cupbearer, he said, "Look, when you stand before Pharaoh, would you do me the kindness of reminding Pharaoh that I'm here, that I came here not because I deserved it, but because I was framed? Would you please do that?" And I'm sure he said, "I will."

So, a few days went by. Few weeks went by. Few months went by. And the scripture says, "Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph and forgot him." And then the scripture says, "Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and behold, he was standing by the Nile." So we know that he was in jail probably three years or more. Remember, he was only seventeen when this started.

And now seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-three, twenty-five, whatever it might be, and so he's in jail probably a pretty good while. Forgotten. Then the scripture says, the next phase of his trials, it happened at the end of these two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing by the Nile River. Now the Nile River was life to Egypt, because that's where they got their water, that's how their crops were taken care of as far as all the moisture that they needed because it overflowed.

And so he was standing by the Nile, this what he dreamed. And seven very fat cows came out. And then seven very lean cows came out. And the lean ones ate the fat ones. Then he had a second dream right after that. And let's say that for example, there were seven, there were seven ears of grain came up, and they were plump and good. Seven lean ones came up and ate the plump ones.

So the next thing that's going on here is that Joseph is in jail, and the scripture says, they told him he was going to meet Pharaoh. He comes to Pharaoh, and Pharaoh says, "I hear that you can interpret dreams." And I love this passage because I want you to hear and watch how Joseph responded. He said, as he stood before him, Joseph then answered Pharaoh, "It is not in me. God, that is Jehovah," which they knew nothing about Jehovah God, "Jehovah, the one true God, will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."

Well, of course, he begins to listen to the dreams. And then this is what Joseph said. Now Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same. God, Jehovah God, has told Pharaoh what he's about to do." And the seven good cows are seven years, the seven good ears are seven years. The dreams are one and the same. The seven lean and ugly cows came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears of corn, scorched earth, east wind, seven years of famine.

So, "It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh, God has shown to Pharaoh what he's about to do. Behold, the seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt. After them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land. So the abundance will be unknown to the land because of that subsequent famine. For it will be very severe. Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, the one true God, and God will quickly bring it about."

"Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh take action, that will bring about all this." And so when he had said that, then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this in whom is a divine spirit?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God, your God, has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command, all my people shall do homage. Only in the throne I will be greater than you."

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over the land of Egypt." This is unspeakable. This is a Hebrew slave. Now, riding in the second chariot of Pharaoh. Now in charge of every single thing in the land of Egypt. The awesome civilization of Egypt, and a Hebrew slave is now in charge of all of it, only second to Pharaoh himself. All he's done since his age of seventeen is go through one trial after the other.

But God gave him a dream. His father had taught him to believe the dreams that God gives you. And that God keeps his promise. He kept believing what God had told him. Today, you and I don't need dreams. We have the Word of God. And when God speaks to your heart through His Word, you and I are to believe what He says. The spirit of God knows how to bear witness to your spirit and my spirit.

This is God's message to you. And this is why sometime when you read the Bible, God begins to speak to your heart. You know he's speaking to your heart. I don't mean say, "Okay, God, speak." That's not the way he operates. He prepares our heart before he speaks to us. Now, with that in mind, the forty-second chapter begins, and I want you to look at this. I want you to think about this as a parent, and I want you to think about this as maybe a child, a teenager.

Forty-second chapter, back up in Canaan, back at his homeland, and back at his home place. Now, chapter forty-two, verse one. Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his son, "Why are you staring at one another? What are you doing sitting here just looking at each other? Why don't you get up and go down to Egypt, because there is grain? We have the money. Go down to Egypt and get us something to eat."

So, I'm going to abbreviate some of this next part. So, they go to Egypt. And the scripture says, that when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. He said to them, "Where have you come from?" Of course, he knew. And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food." But Joseph recognized the brothers, although they didn't recognize him, and Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them and said to them, "You're spies."

So, he accuses them of being spies and throws them in jail. But now, this is a trial in Joseph's life, though. Throws him in jail. They're guilty, they know they're guilty, and through these next few chapters, they keep talking about their own guilt. And Reuben says to him, "Didn't I tell you what was going to happen to us as a result of that?" In verse twenty-two, Reuben answered to them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against this boy,' and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood."

So, finally, he lets them out of jail, sends them back. And what goes on here in the next few chapters is back and forth, back and forth. He sends him, he wants to see his younger brother Benjamin. He holds Simeon as refuge, and back and forth. So, finally, if you'll move on over to the forty-fifth chapter, they come back, and then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him and he cried, "Have everyone go out from me."

So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not even answer him, they were so dismayed at his presence. Then he said to them, "Please come closer." They came closer and he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt."

"Now, do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve me." His focus is always on God. And so he comes down and Pharaoh gives them the finest land, the land of Goshen that's very, very fertile, and so that's where they settle. And you'll recall that's there where they are for 400 years.

And so Ramesses, who is the Pharaoh of that time, favored him, gave them everything they needed. Said, "We're going to take care of your family." And Jacob dies. And then what I want you to notice is these brothers are still up to their conniving. They haven't changed one bit. So listen to this. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge?"

"And against us and pays us back in full for all the wrongs which we did to him." Listen to Joseph's response to that. He says, Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then the brothers also came and fell down before him and said, "Behold, we are your servants." Remember what he dreamed? "One day, you will bow down before me."

And so they fell down before him and said, "We are your servants." But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for I am in God's place. As for you, you meant evil against me, for God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive." There's nothing of unforgiveness in Joseph at all. He had his focus on God.

And he began to realize earlier that God was in charge of his life, and what God had promised him, God was going to make come to pass. So listen, there was not a single thing he could do. He was nothing more than a Hebrew slave, and he became head of Potiphar's household. And now he is second only to Pharaoh.

And so there was no anger, no bitterness, no resentful. He could have had them all killed, and Pharaoh would have approved. But he did not. And the pain in his heart and life was that his brothers had treated him that way when he didn't deserve it, sold him into slavery in Egypt. And yet, he had forgiven them. He didn't have any of that in his heart. And now, here they are scared to death. And what is he saying? He's saying, "Look, you think you did this. God brought me down here to save not only you, but other nations of the earth."

And I love that phrase when he says, "Do not be afraid, for I am in God's place. And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive." Now let me ask you this morning, this. Where is your focus? Is your focus on finances? Is your focus on relationships? What are you focused on? That is, what's uppermost in your thinking?

Not what's happening to you, not what you don't have, but what is the point of focus in your life? It should be nothing less and nothing other than Almighty God. He's given us the promises that when he saves us, he'll take care of us. He'll meet our needs and he'll guide us. He didn't say he wouldn't take us through heartache, pain, and trouble, but he says, "I will be with you."

He had a dream, and the promise of God, and the experiences of his father to back him up. You and I have the living Word of God, and as sure as He kept His promise to Joseph, He will keep His promises to us. Will we have heartache, problems, difficulties, pain, trials? Yes. That's not the issue. The issue is, how do we respond? When we keep our focus on God, we will not blame God. We will not blame others, and we will be able to have the same impact in the lives of other people that Joseph did.

When you set your focus on God, that means you really and truly believe what the Bible says, what he'll do and who he is. When you set your focus on God, your fears will dwindle. Your sense of need will begin to dwindle. God will begin to make himself known to you in ways that you've never known before. Things about God that you've doubted, He will make so very clear.

Focusing on God is what his desire is for us. Then that intimate relationship, that personal intimacy with us, will, listen, will become reality in our life. And you'll be able to say with Joseph, no matter where you are in life, "I'm in God's place." And the most powerful, safe, profitable place in the world to be at any time, at any moment, in any circumstances, is in God's place. Amen.

Guest (Male): Joseph kept his eyes on God, regardless of his circumstances. Today's In Touch lesson reminded you that if you're a believer, God is with you in the midst of trouble. And when you turn toward Him, He'll guide you to make the right choices. You can hear this message again when you click the link to today on radio at intouch.org and look around to find encouraging resources to strengthen your faith in God.

And you can order a copy of today's complete message at the bookstore. The title is "Through Times of Trial." Or order this message as part of Dr. Stanley's "In Step With God" teaching set. Our web address again is intouch.org. Call or text to 1-800-INTOUCH. If you prefer, you can write to us at In Touch, Post Office Box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia, 30357.

John 8:32 says, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." Coming up in today's Moment with Charles Stanley, you'll get help understanding how believers have been freed by Christ. Does your prayer life need a jump start? With the In Touch Praying With Purpose cards, the time you spend talking with God will take on a whole new level of energy and intimacy. Beautifully designed and easy to use, or to share with a friend, there are prayers to lift up each day of the month, along with corresponding Bible verses and more. For your set of Praying With Purpose cards, call 1-800-INTOUCH or go to intouch.org/store.

You're listening to In Touch. What does it mean to be free in Christ? Here's a moment with Charles Stanley.

Dr. Charles Stanley: And you'll remember the scripture in John chapter 8, the woman who was thrown in the presence of Jesus. She was accused of being an adulteress and they were going to stone her. And Jesus asked the question, "Which one of you is without sin among you?" And you'll recall they all walked away. Then he said to her, "Where are your accusers?" And she said, "They're gone." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you." He said, "Go and sin no more." He set her free by his awesome forgiving power.

Now, you and I might ask the question, how does all this work? So, let me explain that briefly. When Jesus came into this world, he came into this world for the purpose of dying on the cross. When he died on the cross, the shedding of his blood was God's payment for all of our sins so that what happened at the cross is, he paid our sin debt in full. That is, he made it possible for you and me to live without the penalty of sin and to live, listen, above the power of sin in our life.

So that when a person receives Jesus Christ as their personal savior, there is no more condemnation, the Bible says in Romans chapter 8 and verse 1. Because you see, we have the gift of eternal life. Now, when you and I recognize we have the gift of eternal life and we begin to live out our life, sin is still all around us. And then we have to make a decision whether we want to live in sin or live outside of it. It doesn't mean that you'll never sin, but committing a sin here and there and we confess it and God forgives us, that's one thing.

Living a lifestyle of disobedience, living a lifestyle of sin is living a lifestyle of slavery. And Jesus said, "I've come to set you free." That is, free from the power of sin in your life. Because when you receive him as your personal savior, the Holy Spirit comes into your life to enable us to identify sin, enable us to love the Lord God, and enable us to say no to those things that tempt us and try us.

You say, "Well, how does that work in my life?" Well, remember this, it isn't just your effort. It isn't just a decision you make. First of all, we have to confess the fact, there is sin in my life. And you see many people who say, "Oh, I could stop this if I wanted to. I can quit that. That's not enslaving me." The truth is it is.

And how does that freedom come into your life? By confessing that you are enslaved by that sin. And believing in your heart that when Jesus Christ died on the cross, that that death at the cross made it possible for us to live above this sin. But believing it is one thing. It is the surrender of our life. You and I cannot live a sinless life, that's not going to happen because we have something within us, that old propensity to sin, it's still there.

But we don't have to yield to it, and we don't have to become a slave or remain a slave to sin. Once we believe that Jesus Christ has saved us from our sin, then we claim his victory. We ask the Lord to forgive us, to cleanse us, and to claim that victory. And the claiming of that victory, listen, is intermingled with the Word of God. Because as you and I read the scriptures, what happens?

We're continually reminded that Jesus came to set us free. We're continually reminded of his power within our life. And Paul says in many verses, speaking of the power of God within us, we are now free. He says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." And so when you and I trust him as our personal savior, he forgives us of all of our sin. When we surrender our life to him, he assumes the responsibility for enabling us to live a life of obedience and righteousness.

It is knowing the truth, what truth? It is knowing this truth of who Jesus is, of what he did at the cross, and what he's made available to us. Knowing that truth and choosing, choosing to walk in obedience to the will of God will set you free from sin and any form of slavery.

Guest (Male): You can learn more about how to live for God when you visit us at intouch.org. If this program challenged you to grow up in your faith, tell us about what you learned. Next time on In Touch, you'll be warned about some common attitudes that can trip us up, cause us to get out of step with God. I hope you'll join us again for In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley.

This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.