Joseph the Advocate

We will get started. Genesis chapter 45. Genesis chapter 45, alright? Genesis 45. We're going to begin in a moment.

In verse 16. So, Genesis 45 and we'll begin in verse 16. But before we get there, I want to read this verse on the screen. Up here, it is first John chapter two and verse one. And of course, it's concerning our Lord Jesus Christ as this holiday is.

It's not just about a baby in a manger. It's not about the gifts and the decorations though they are pretty. And we decorate here not just for our pleasure but for the glory of our our God. But it's about our advocate, our advocate our our mediator, the one who stood up in our defense, who took our place on the cross of Calvary, who intercedes for us, who have put our faith in Christ today in heaven before the throne of God. He is our advocate.

And that's why among other reasons we worship and praise his name today. First John two one says, my little children, these things write I unto you that you send not. All that we never sinned ever again. Wouldn't that be nice? All that this battle would be over.

Well, one day it will be and one day, sin will no longer be a thing, a struggle. And in Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to choose to sin. We can choose to do right. And so thus, John writes, these things write unto that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

If any man sin, we have a lot An advocate with the father. Jesus Christ, the righteous. We come here today to celebrate our advocate. And we see him in type, in shadow, in the person of Joseph in the Old Testament. Joseph is a a type of Christ and as we go through, we've gone through our study in looking at Joseph, we see parallels between Joseph and Jesus.

The Bible says, he came unto his own and his own what? Received him not. Joseph was given dreams by God in his youth that one day, his family would bow before him. They weren't happy with those dreams. And because of that and because of his obedient and faithful service to his father, his brothers hated him.

They sold him to merchants and he became a slave in a foreign land. He rather than getting angry and bitter, he was a model, servant in the house of Potiphar. He rose to be the highest servant, the most trusted servant in the house of Potiphar but then, being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, he was thrown in prison. In prison, once again, rather than becoming angry and bitter, he was still obedient to the Lord and he rose in power in the prison to become the highest trustee in Pharaoh's prison. Entrusted by the guard with the new prisoners that were brought into the prison.

Yet, himself still a what? Still a prisoner. But two men, two new prisoners were brought in, and they had dreams. And God gave Daniel the interpretation of their dreams. One of them was the butler.

And the interpretation of his dream was that he was to be restored to his place. In service of pharaoh and indeed he was and the butler told Joseph, he says, when I see pharaoh, I will tell him about you but he forgot. It's a couple years later, pharaoh had a dream and then the butler remembered, oh yeah, there's that man in prison that I forgot to tell you about and he can tell the interpretation of dreams and so Pharaoh called for Joseph. Joseph told Pharaoh the interpretation about the seven years of plenty and the seven years of famine. He gave Pharaoh good advice concerning what to do in the meantime and Pharaoh put him in charge, made him the second highest ruler in all the land of Egypt and one day, guess who came before Joseph?

For food. His brothers, not knowing who he was, they all did what? They all bowed down before him just as the dreams God had given him. As a child from child of Jacob to slave, to prisoner, to this close to the king of Egypt. God had brought Joseph.

He was the savior of his family for he forgave them what they did to him as a child and he provided them with food and sustenance. So, family did not die in the famine. God had it all under control. He had a plan. Just couldn't see it along the way necessarily like we see the big picture in scripture and we can't always see the big picture in our own lives.

We don't know why God is allowing this to happen or that to happen and there maybe some things you look back to this year and you praise God and there are some things you go, oh boy, why did that happen? Well, God knows what he's doing. You need to trust him and if you know Christ the savior, we all know where this ends. The Bible says, he's preparing a place for who? For us.

And we who suffer for him will be glorified with him. That great is our reward in heaven. For so persecuted they the prophets that were before us. So, Joseph now finds himself, his family, in the land of Egypt and I just want to look at this one aspect before we close and go home today and that is his advocacy for his family. He was the go between.

He was the mediator between and his family, okay? Between life and death for them. That was Joseph. Look if you would in chapter 45 verse 16 and the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house that his brothers and family, his brothers had come. Saying, Joseph's brethren are coming and pleased Pharaoh well and his servants.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, say unto thy brethren, this do you, laid your beast and go, get you into the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households and come unto me. I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat of the fat of the land. Now, thou art commanded, this do you take your wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives and bring your father and come also regard not your stuff for the good of the land of Egypt is yours. Look if you would in chapter 47 verse one. Turn over 47 and verse one.

Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh and said, my father and my brother and their flocks and their herds and all that they have are come out of the land of Canaan and behold, they are in the land of Goshen and he took some of his brethren even five men and presented them unto Pharaoh and Pharaoh said unto his brethren, what is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, thy servants are shepherds, both we and also our our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, for the sojourn in the land are we come, for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks, For the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen and Pharaoh spoke unto Joseph saying, thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee, the land of Egypt is before thee. In the best of land, make thy father and thy brethren to dwell in the land of Goshen, let them dwell and if thou knowest any man of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle and Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh and Pharaoh said unto Jacob, how old art thou?

Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been and have not attained unto the days, the years of the life of my fathers, and the days of their pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, gave them a possession in the land of Egypt in the best of land, in the land of Ramses, as Pharaoh had commanded, and Joseph nourished his father and his brethren, and all his father's household with bread according to their families. Want you to notice a few things from our passage.

Notice that Pharaoh was the sovereign of the land of Egypt and was well pleased to hear that Joseph's brethren had come to him. Pharaoh was pleased. Pharaoh was excited that Joseph's family had come to Egypt to see him. Notice that Pharaoh had commanded Joseph to tell his brethren to get all their family and herds and return to him in Egypt and not to worry about retrieving their stuff for anything they needed would be provided them there in the land of Egypt. Said, you take all this stuff, you go, take the wagons, get your family, bring em back, Don't let them worry about, don't worry about getting all their stuff because everything in the land of in the everything in the land of Egypt is what?

Is theirs. Whatever they need is here. Notice that Pharaoh and Joseph gave them all that was needed to make the journey along with other good things from Egypt. When he said, I want you to bring him to Egypt. You notice what Pharaoh did?

He said to Joseph, you get all the wagons and all the thing, everything they'll need for the journey and you send it to them and then they can all gather up their herds and their rest of their family and they'll have plenty to eat along the way. It'll be enjoyable and they can come to Egypt. I've all provided it for them to make this journey. Notice that Pharaoh gave to them good that is productive fertile land of Egypt, Goshen. He told them via Joseph that they should eat of the fat of the land and that the good of all the land of Egypt was theirs.

Pharaoh extended all these things to Jacob and his sons upon their arrival. All of this was given freely to Joseph's family Free of charge while the rest of the Egyptians had to pay for their food. Others had to pay but not who? Not Joseph, not Jacob, not Reuben, not Benjamin, all of Jacob's family lived and had the best of the land at their disposal. Notice the rejoicing and reviving of Jacob who had nearly been nearly dead for many years sorrow for his son.

He lived seventeen more years in the land of Egypt. Now, consider this question or these questions. Were it not for Joseph? What if Pharaoh been so welcoming to the Jake to Jacob and his family? No.

Would No. He have given them the best of the land of Egypt if it were not for Joseph? No. Would he have promised to feed them, provide for them free of charge if it were not for Joseph. No.

None of those things would have been offered Jacob's family if it were not for who? If it were not for Joseph. Pharaoh treated Jacob and his family not as foreigners, not as aliens, but as members of his own household for the sake of who? For the sake of Joseph. If it weren't for Joseph, none of these things would have been offered Jacob and his family.

They may have died of hunger in the famine in Canaan but now they will live in the best of the land and have everything they could want. Even more so than the people of Egypt. Because of one man and that one man was Joseph. He treated them. That is Pharaoh treated them not for who they were or for what they had done.

But he treated them for who Joseph was and for what Joseph had done. He did not know Jacob. He did not know Jacob's brothers but I mean, Joseph's brothers but he knew who. He knew Joseph and he treated Joseph's family not based upon what they had done or who they were but he treated them based upon who Joseph was and what Joseph had done and because of who Joseph was and because of what Joseph had done, they were offered this great and wondrous gift. In other words, Pharaoh when he spoke to Jacob and made all the promises to care for Israel, looked no further than who?

He looked no further than Joseph. He saw them in Joseph and he treated them accordingly. So, also as a type of Christ, God sees us not for who we are, depraved sinners, aliens as to the holiness of God, outcast, but he sees us in who? He sees us in Christ Jesus. For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

All things are passed away. Behold, or all things are become new. In the eyes of who? In the eyes of God. Who you were before you came to Christ is not who you are now.

Before you were an outcast, now you are part of the family. Of God. God sees us not for who we are. He judges us not for who we are, what we've done but he judges us in Christ for who Christ is and for what Christ has done because we are in Christ Jesus. Here I have a credit card.

It doesn't have my name on it. It says, Kathleen. Anyway, that's Kate's real name. But now you see this credit card. And now you see this credit card.

Is this credit card in my hand? I'm not a magician, I'm not an illusionist. Here's the credit card, there it goes. Is the credit card still in my hand? But it's in my wallet.

It's in my wallet. Now, do you know it's still here? Yeah. You saw me put it there. It is in my wallet, but you no longer see it.

What you see is my wallet. If I put my wallet here, where's the credit card? It's there because it's in my wallet. It's in my wallet. If I take and I shine my wallet, if I take and put my wallet here, if I treat my wallet well, if I, whatever the case may be, whatever I do to my wallet, wherever I put my wallet, wherever I take my wallet, the same thing is true of my what?

A credit card because it's in my wallet. Now, do you deserve heaven? No. Does Christ? Yes.

He does. Do you deserve all the riches of heaven? No. But who does? Jesus Christ.

Are you righteous in all of your works? The answer is no, you're not. But Jesus Christ is. The inheritance that is awaiting us in heaven is not our inheritance, it's whose? It's Christ's but if you are in Christ Jesus, it's also what?

It's also your inheritance too. If you are in Christ. He makes many precious promises that is God does to us not based on our goodness and deservedness but upon the righteousness and the work of Jesus Christ and based upon the righteousness and the work of Christ, he welcomes us into his family on that basis. As many as received him, that's who, Jesus to them gave he power to become the sons or the children of God even to them that believe on his name. The Bible says, if we believe and put our faith in the name of Jesus Christ and the person of Christ and the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary and his resurrection from the grave and his power to save us from sin, if we will believe and put our trust in him, then we also become the children of God.

Now, is Jesus the son of God? Yes, he is. But we too can become children of God when we put our faith in Christ then, because we are in Christ, we too are the children of who? We have become the children of God. Ephesians one five through seven puts it this way, heaven predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of the will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein wherein he hath made us what?

Accepted in the beloved. Why are we accepted in the beloved? Because of the grace of God and the work of who? Jesus Christ because you are in Christ through faith in him. You have been accepted into God's family, his beloved, not based on your works but based on the work of Jesus Christ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.

He has revived us from spiritual death to life in his son, Jesus Christ. He has restored our relationship with God which was broken by sin. The relationship that we had with God back in the Garden Of Eden was broken. When Adam and Eve sinned, we are separated from God by our iniquities but Jesus Christ, he came and he died the just for the unjust that he might bring us back together to God that he might bridge that gap and restore that relationship and in Christ, that relationship is restored. That spiritual life is restored.

The image of God is being restored in us who know Christ as savior. Colossians two thirteen, and you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened, that means made alive together with him having forgiven you your trespasses. He forgives us in Christ. He gives to us all that is needed for the journey to his home. His word and his holy spirit to accompany us, to guide us, and to strengthen us on the journey ahead.

Just as Pharaoh gave Joseph and his brothers all that he needed to go back and get Jacob's family and bring them back. God has given to us in Christ Jesus. Second Peter one three. According as he has, his divine power hath given unto us all things. That pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him who hath called us unto glory and virtue.

According as his divine power hath what? Given unto us all things. All things that we need for the journey. From now to heaven are provided us by our loving heavenly father because we are in who? Because we are in Christ.

He already has a place prepared and reserved for us in heaven. In Christ. First Peter one, three, and four. Blessed be the God and father, our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and the fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you.

For you who are in Christ, for you who have received Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of your life, there is a place reserved in heaven for you. Why? Because Christ earned it. It's his place and because we are in him, it's our place too. It's our place too.

He says to us that we will never want for anything in his kingdom and it is free of charge because Jesus Christ, our savior, paid the price for us. We will lack nothing for all eternity in heaven. We will never know need ever again. And even on this Earth, as he said to his disciples, but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things, all these things you need will be provided for you. Doesn't mean he gives us rains down bread from heaven for us, puts it in our pantry, and but he gives us the ability, the job, sometimes provides in other ways so that we will have what we need.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and if we'll seek first to please him, he will see that we have the opportunity we need. To take care of ourselves. You are complete in Christ Jesus. There is nothing you can add to what Christ has done to improve upon it. There is nothing you can add to what Christ has done to improve upon his sacrifice, to improve upon his grace, to improve upon his salvation.

There is nothing we can add. To improve upon it. Only we can. Do out of love and service to Christ. Who has given us this incredible opportunity to represent him here.

We cannot add to his sacrifice, to his redemption, but we can live and serve and love him. Out of gratitude, out of Thanksgiving, out of love. We love him because he what? First loved us. To express that love, to express that that adoration.

That's why the kings of the wise men brought gifts to express their what? Adoration to the king. It wasn't that the king needed gold or the king needed frankincense or the king needed myrrh. They laid it at his feet out of worship. They laid it out of his feet out of faith.

They laid it in his feet out of love. They weren't buying his love. They were showing their love for the one who was worthy of it. You cannot buy heaven. You cannot buy his favor but you can.

Express your love and gratitude to him this coming year. For what you have in Christ Jesus. You can begin by putting your faith and trust in him and receiving the gift that he has to give you. That God might see you in Christ Jesus and all of these things might also be yours. One day, we will stand before him complete and we will see him as he is.

All because we are in Christ Jesus. Says in first John three two this, beloved, now are we the sons or the children of God? And it does not yet appear what we shall be. We haven't arrived in heaven yet. We don't quite know exactly what it's going to be like.

But it says this, beloved, now are we the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is. We'll shed this corruptible body. We'll get a new one.

We will have shed sin forever. It will be gone. As will pain. That accompanies him. And we will be like Jesus.

And because we will be like him, we shall see him. As he is, you can't see him as he is in all his glory now. In our corruptible human form but one day, we will. Because we are in Christ Jesus. We'll show you just a few passages in closing.

And I want you to see particularly from the writings of Paul but there's a couple others here as well. How important this doctrine of being in Christ is and how God see. Now, God, God knows who we are, yes, but he chooses to treat us as in who? As in Jesus Christ, by his grace. If you put your faith in him.

Romans eight one, there's therefore now no condemnation to them which are what? In Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. First Corinthians one two, unto the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified, set apart from others in Christ Jesus, called to be what? Called to be saints. With all that in every place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, both theirs and ours.

First Corinthians fifteen twenty two. For as in Adam, all die, even so, in Christ, shall all be what? Made alive. First, second Corinthians two fourteen. Now, thanks be unto God which always causes us to what?

Triumph in Christ and make it manifest the savior of his knowledge by us in every place. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. We have overcome the world because he overcame the world for us and in Christ, we will triumph. Galatians three twenty eight. There is neither Jew nor Greek.

There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. This world politics, news, equity, quality, so forth and so on arguing, fighting, bickering, in Christ Jesus, there's none of that. The ground is level at the foot of the what?

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. There's a Southern Gospel song I like. It's a, that's the title. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. No man stands higher than I.

I can call on Jesus name and the king can do the same. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. In Christ, we are all treated the same. We are equal. In the eyes of God who made us.

Ephesians one three, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. All spiritual blessings are ours. Why? Because we are in Christ. Ephesians two verse six and thirteen and it raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ but now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ.

He's talking about Gentiles there who knew not the scriptures and knew not the Lord before the gospel came to them and they were distant from the Lord and now they have been brought what? Close in Jesus Christ. Most of us by the way here today are Gentiles but we have been welcomed into the beloved. We have been brought nigh to the savior in Christ Jesus. You are Gentile does not matter and we have a place reserved for us in heaven.

Where Jesus Christ, our advocate, is today, interceding for us. Colossians one twenty eight, whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect, what? In Christ Jesus. Are you perfect now? Not quite.

But in Christ, you are because who is perfect? Christ is perfect and we get to heaven in Christ, one day, we will be. First Thessalonians four sixteen. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel with the trump of God and the dead what? In Christ shall rise first.

The dead in Christ and then the living shall follow. All those that are what? In Christ by grace through faith in him. We'll go to be with him in heaven. Second Timothy one nine, I'm almost done.

Second Timothy one nine, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our what? Not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which he has was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. In Christ Jesus, God has called us as his children, as his servants, and will call us up one day to be at his side. In Christ. In first Peter five fourteen, Peter says, greet you one another with a kiss of charity.

Be peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen. This world is in turmoil. This word is afraid. You don't have to be afraid.

You don't have to be in turmoil today. If you are in who? If you're in Christ. Christ gives peace. Peace that passes all understanding.

You have a home in heaven. You are secure in him. He will provide all things that are needed for the journey from here to there. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And we could go on and on and on.

All because God now sees me not as a filthy, rotten, failing sinner that I am but he sees me in Christ Jesus. He sees me as his child. He sees me as forgiven. And he is working each day to make me more like Jesus Christ. And he has a place reserved in heaven for me and if you know Christ as savior, the same is true of you.

But are you in Christ this morning? There is only one way to receive all these gifts. Jacob could have come to Pharaoh in any other fashion and probably none of them would have worked. There was only one way for Jacob and his family to be treated by Pharaoh as he was and that was in who? That was in Joseph.

That was the only way and God provided the way by getting Joseph there and by getting Joseph to be the second highest ruler in Egypt. Jesus Christ came to this Earth and he died for you. He is the way, the truth, and the life, the only way and you might try, try as you might. There is no other way to get to heaven, to receive the blessings of God but in Christ Jesus. Romans ten nine that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. In Christ. Are you in Christ? Have you called on him in faith as your Lord and savior? Have you asked him to be your Lord?

Have you asked him to forgive you of all your sins? Have you put your faith in him, his death, resurrection, and power to save, to save you. If not, you can today and all of this can be yours. Based upon who Jesus is and what he did for you. Do you realize child of God who you are in Christ?

What blessings are yours in Christ? In this life and eternity? What security you have in Christ Jesus? What privilege is yours to serve and glorify him? Your savior.

With this life he has given you. I hope you do and I hope as we go into a new year that we will be reminded of those things and that we will give him the glory and serve him all the more. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord. For all that you've done for us.

And that you treat us not as we deserve, not according to our works, but according to the work of Jesus Christ that he did on the cross of Calvary for us. We thank you Lord. For welcoming us into the beloved. Lord, we pray if there's one here today that is yet to receive your invitation as we give this hymn of invitation that they would come today or they would come to me after the service but Lord, they would come. Lord, that they would receive freely of the gift that you offer to them today.

And be too accepted in the beloved in Christ Jesus. In Jesus name, we do pray.