International Gospel Hour

Guest (Male): The writer of Proverbs reminds us, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall" (Proverbs 11:14, first part). Good leaders are needed, friends, but it begins with serving. So let's think about this today with the life of Joseph. That's coming up from the International Gospel Hour.

Guest (Male): Hi, this is J Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archey of International Gospel Hour. Let's begin.

Jeff Archey: Thank you to our J Webb and greetings to all of you. It's so good to have you with us today for our broadcast here from the International Gospel Hour. Friends, I've got some things that I want to send you absolutely free if you would like to have them. I've got a free book that I'm going to give away. I've got a free publication that I want to send to you and at the end, our J Webb has information about our free Bible study course by mail.

I tell you all that up front so if you want to get all three, you may want to wait at the end and just let us know that you want all three of these. If you want one at a time, we'll present them one at a time. Here's the book giveaway. We have a free book courtesy of our friends at Apologetics Press called Does God Exist by Dave Miller. It's a great book. We'd love to send you that book absolutely free.

All you have to do is give us a call on our toll-free number at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say Does God Exist. That's all you have to do. You can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab and leave us the same information: name, address, and just type Does God Exist in the message box. That's all you have to do if you want the book Does God Exist. While we're at it, let me defer back to our J Webb for another gift through our friends at AP that we will be sharing this broadcast as well.

Guest (Male): Our free publication today is Valor and Virtue, a Christian apologetics magazine for teens. It is a great resource, especially for the challenging teen years. Get your free copy today by calling toll-free at 855-444-6988. Leave your name and address and just say Valor. You can also request it through our website at internationalgospelhour.com. Click on the contacts tab and leave us your name and address and put Valor in the message box. Our friends at apologeticspress.org have made this possible for you, our listeners. Get your copy of Valor and Virtue today.

Jeff Archey: When you call for Does God Exist, if you add Valor to that call, we'll send both of them at once. Also, our free Bible study course by mail, which we'll tell you about at the end, we can put that in there as well or that will come to you separately. So when you call for Does God Exist, just add Valor to the call and you can let us know you want the Bible study course by mail all with one call. Thank you so much for your interest in the things that be of God and we are delighted to share these materials with you absolutely free.

Can you imagine if at 17 years old you were told that you would become a great world leader? How do you think that would impact your life? Would you have paid more attention in school or taken life more seriously? Would you have spent more time in prayer and study of God's Word? Do you think you could continue your life as if nothing had happened? When you think about it, this is exactly what happened to Joseph.

He was told in a dream that he would be the leader of his family, and his family was not just any family. They were the ones who were destined by God to become a great nation according to Genesis 12 and verse 2, who would be numbered like the dust of the earth (Genesis 13:16), and who would include one descendant who would change the lives of people in all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:3). Joseph's knowledge that all this was to happen did not mean that he was ready to lead at his young age. It would take a great deal of time, patience, and maturity before Joseph would be ready to lead a nation.

Some interesting thoughts from my young brother and friend Jonathan Dalton in a recent Vacation Bible School time where I spent studying about Joseph with the good people in attendance. We talked about good leadership. Good leaders begin as good servants. They grow as good servants and they learn.

Guest (Male): Let's look at this little by little. When we’re introduced to Joseph in Genesis 37, we see that he went to check on his brothers as his father asked him. We continue reading throughout the latter part of Genesis where Joseph served in Potiphar’s house and even served in the prison as he had favor with the keeper of the prison. No question, we see Joseph as one who served. Good leaders begin as good servants.

Let's look at some characteristics. Good leaders do good to others. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 14 and 15, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all." He's writing there to the church. He's letting them know to do good unto other people. That's reflected in the teaching of Jesus in Mark 12:29 through 31, as well as Galatians 6, verses 1 and 2.

Good leaders also decide matters by God’s Word. They understand God’s Word is inspired of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is sufficient for all things. Even Hebrews 4 and verse 12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." God’s Word is the standard, and good leaders will decide matters according to God’s Word. When we use the standard, God’s Word, we cannot go wrong.

Good leaders also apply matters with God’s Word. They do good to others, they decide matters with God’s Word, and they apply with God’s Word. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, "Test all things, hold fast what is good." Leaders must replenish themselves. They need to study and read. They will apply what they have learned to be good leaders to help others become better servants and good leaders as well. I noted something a number of years ago. The top 10 CEOs in America at that time had one characteristic about them: they would read and stay updated in the field of which they were responsible.

Jeff Archey: So let’s build on this, friends. Good leaders begin as good servants, but good leaders also grow as good servants. Let’s go back to Genesis 37, verses 5 through 10, and I’m going to defer to my young brother Jonathan Dalton once again as he observed.

Guest (Male): Joseph twice received the same basic message from God. He received this message in a dream both times. In the first dream, Joseph and his brothers were binding sheaves in the field, and the brothers' sheaves fell down before Joseph’s sheaf. In the second dream, the sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed before Joseph. The message from the dreams was that one day Joseph would rule over his brothers.

This might seem odd to us since he was younger than his brothers. However, the younger ruling over the older was noted time and again throughout this family’s history. Some other examples of the younger ruling include Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, and Ephraim over Manasseh. The first time that Joseph had this dream, he immediately told his brothers, and the response of the brothers was hatred.

Genesis 37, verses 3 through 4, states his brothers already hated him. This was because Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons. When Joseph told them this dream, it just made them hate him more. When faced with the truth of Joseph’s visions, his brothers chose to deride, tease, and show hatred to him. If this happened once, most people would probably give up, but Joseph did not.

When he received the same message again in another dream, he went and told his brothers and his father this time. Even though he was completely rejected the first time, Joseph brought the message again. He told the vision just the way God had given it to him. He did not keep it to himself, he did not sugarcoat it, and he did not change it. He bravely took the message that God had given him and told it to his brothers.

Jeff Archey: Good leaders grow as good servants. He stayed with it, friends. He continued to grow and he was not going to move away from what God had told him. In Hebrews 5, verse 12, going into chapter 6 and verse 3, the Hebrew writer warns those that the time they ought to be teachers, they have need that one will teach them again. This just should not be the case. They were partaking of milk spiritually. They were unskilled in the word of righteousness (Hebrews 5:13).

Good leaders must grow as good servants, and we find Joseph growing as well. We find him growing at every opportunity he had in his life, although things were quite hard. Good leaders also learn as good servants. Sometimes those lessons are very hard to learn, as in the replies and the reaction of Joseph’s brothers and what they did unto him. However, friends, Joseph always did the right thing.

We are thrilled to read that wonderful account of Joseph in Genesis 37, then we pick up in Genesis 39 through 50 to see indeed, he delivered his family during the time of famine in Egypt. What a beautiful account of how God, through Joseph, preserved life. Friends, how thankful we are that through Christ, our lives can be preserved. We’d like to help you in your studies of God’s Word with our free Bible course by mail. Here is our J Webb with the details of how you can receive that free study.

Guest (Male): Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say Home Study. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the contact tab, and leave us the same information: name, address, and type Home Study in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it’s free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.

Jeff Archey: Friends, how grateful we are to study this wonderful account of Joseph and we hope it’s been of help to you. We look forward to studying with you at another time. Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archey, and friends, keep listening.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to our broadcast today and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com. God be with you 'til we meet again.