This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida, clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. Come reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.

God knows the future. God doesn’t make some things happen. God lets them happen. God can intervene, but it doesn’t make a person respond and do the right thing. So he says here in verse 10, Pharaoh was rough with his servants and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker. We dreamed the dream in one night. I and he, we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard.

And we told him and he interpreted to us our dream. And to each man according to his dream, he did interpret. When it came to pass as he interved to us, so it was. Be he restored unto mine office and him he hanged. I know a man, I know a man just happens to remember who had a dream, Pharaoh. And Pharaoh didn’t know what that meant to have seven fat cows and then seven skinny cows. And the seven skinny cows ate up the seven fat cows.

in verse 14, then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, and he shaved himself. That means he had a beard. He’d been in prison. I wonder what he looked like. A dirty old man, a dirty young man. And changed his, Raymond and came in to see Pharaoh. Now, when you talk about how quickly things can change, you may be sailing long and all of a sudden something happening can shake your world. Everything be uprooted.

All of a sudden it can be so peaceful and all of a sudden everything seems like it’s going wrong. And God was totally surprised. He didn’t know what was going to happen. God knows everything. You don’t fool God. So anyway, He brought him in and he told him what had happened. He told him what the dream was. See there in verse 25. And Joseph said the Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one. God had shown Pharaoh what he is about to do, because then he says I had these stocks of corn come up and boy they were really filled, a lot of corn on them, these ears of corn.

And then there were seven, you know, these skinny ones. And the other ones were eaten up by the skinny ones. Well, they were hungry. So he’d up the fat ones. You don’t think the fat was gonna eat the skinny ones. That doesn’t work that away. So he says The thing is one So he explained it to him. So in verse 28, this is the thing which I have spoken on the pharom What God is about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh.

He’s gonna do something God’s gonna do something in the future and I’m gonna explain it to you them. Looking for 32. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice. It is because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out for a man, discreet and wise and let him set him over the house of the land and so forth. So what he’s telling them, he says, this is what’s going to take place.

He says, you’re going to have seven years of plenty. You’re going to have a lot of grain and everything’s going to be multiplied for seven years. And then after that, you’re going to be seven years of famine. It’s going to be really bad. And so what you need to do is in those seven years, store up all the food you can.

And then when you have the seven years of famine, you’ll have food to live off of. So God already knew about the famine. It’s going to come. It’s going to be bad. God knew it way in advance and he says I am sending Joseph down into Egypt so they can save his people alive. God knows the future and he can let this happen, that happen and stop certain things, but it’s not whatever will be because God has to work through people.

And he doesn’t make some people do things, but he is using. Look what Joseph had to go through just to get to this place. And so he told him what was going to happen. And so Joseph told him, says, now you need to look out yourself a man that can administer all of this for you. And so he says, well, I need a man that’s got the spirit of God in him. See there in verse 38, and Pharaoh said unto his servants, can we find such a one as this is a man in whom the spirit of God is.

Pharaoh said unto Joseph for as much as God has showed the all this, there is none so discreet and wisest thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according to unto my word, thou shalt all the people be ruled only in the throne, will I be greater than thou. Now look at it, wait, wait, wait, wait. He was sold by his brothers. The Ishmaelites came by, took him down and he became a slave. He was wronged and lied about, thrown into a prison and there for years and then he comes out.

And next thing you know he’s second in command to Pharaoh himself. Now God didn’t tell him all that in advance. God says you humble yourself and he in his time he will exalt you. You know the problem today with most people is they want to exalt themselves. So they ride over the backs of everybody else trying to be a big shot. No, no, no, no, that’s not the way you’re supposed to do it. But now notice is, he’s now about 30 years old.

See that in verse 46, Joseph was about 30 years old. He was 17 years old when he was sold. That means 13 years has passed. 13 years he had to go through all of that. Now he got seven more years of plenty. So that’ll take him up to 37 years. He was 30 years then and seven more. And then you talk about how that seven more years of famine. So in that period of time at the height of the famine is when Jacob, other sons are having a hard time.

See, they’re up in the Canaan area and they’re going to come down in here. We’ve got to go find some food. Remember, these are the same brothers that sold him. And he had that dream where they had bowed to him and they laughed into scorn and mocked him, ridiculed him. Now, all these years later, 20 years later, 13 years and seven more years for the 20 more years later. So he knows Joseph’s around 37 years of age. And here they come down.

Wouldn’t have been this exciting thing. Somebody ought to write a book on, oh, they did write a book. No, he’s right here. But you read this and you think God is sure amazing how that he can work behind the scenes and get all this done. But what I want you to also see, in verse 41 of the same chapter and Pharaoh said unto Joseph, see I have set the over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh took off his ring, put it on Joseph’s hand, arrayed him in Vesh’s a fine linen, put a gold chain about his neck.

But remember how he was dressed? What he did look like? Where he was? And then all of a sudden things can change pretty fast, can’t they? 20 years past. And here he is, and God’s going to bless him. Joseph gets married, has two kids, Eve from Manasseh. These two became two of the tribes of the children of Israel. And so you go down through here and he says in verse 51, Joseph called the name of the first born Manasseh, for God said he had made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.

He didn’t really forget, but it does heal the wound. And verse 52, in the name of the second call, Ephraim, for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction, what He went through. You know, sometimes we do a lot of bellyache and don’t we? We bellyache about a lot of things. And we just don’t understand what God is doing. Do you realize if God did this in His life, you know God was working in a lot of other people’s lives too.

You know, even in that butler, that Butler was restored, God was working in his life. God was working in Pharaoh’s life. God was also working in the lives of his brothers because God can use the rebellion, the hatred, the in being. Of how they felt about Joseph and still use it for his honor and glory. God can use your rebellion against him to teach a lot of people a lot of lessons. See, God may have to beat the tar out of you, but somebody else is going to learn.

I’m not going to do that. I used to watch my older sisters get whooped and say, I’m not going to do that. Because I’ve watched what happened to them. And I’m no dummy. I don’t want that to happen to me. So a lot of things I didn’t do. The reason is because I scared the death. I get caught. And my sister, they would run the risk. One day my dad beat the tar out of my sister. I mean, she cried and he put welps on her, buddy.

And it was all over with. I said, Lizzie, they told you they were going to whip you if you did it. Why did you do it? She says, Yankee, I always calculate whether it’s worth it or not. And they told me that I couldn’t go out to this dance or whatever it was. She says, but the joy of going to the dance and jitterbugging and having a good time and partying, she says, I knew that when I get home, I’m going to get tore up.

So it was worth it. Because she says, Janky, it only hurts for a little while. But the enjoyment of what I did will last in my mind, in my memories for a long time. My sister could think things out. But she made a lot of dumb decisions in her life because she reasoned incorrectly because it got worse and worse and worse than in God had to deal with her. But sometimes you think, well, anybody ever learned? Look down in chapter 42.

Then it says in verse one, now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, he said to his sons, hey, we got to have food. So now they’re going to go down there. In verse three, Joseph’s 10 brethren were down to buy corn in Asia. But Benjamin, verse four, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, for he said, let’s prevent your mischief befall him. So he’s going to keep the youngest one back, Benjamin. And all these other ones were coming down.

And so when they got there in verse six, and Joseph was the governor over the land. And he, it was that so to all the people of the land, and Joseph brethren came bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth, dream fulfilled. Know that dream he had 20 years ago? There they are. But look what God had to do in his life. And look what God had to bring in the lives of Jacob and his sons up there in Canaan.

a famine and God is working behind the scenes. Sometimes we don’t think God’s alive and working, but remember when God can make these statements in advance and say what’s gonna take place and then it happened, then evidently God’s not on the vacation. God’s still on the throne and he’s still in charge and he knows what, does God know what’s going on in America? Doesn’t God tell us that in the last days it’s gonna get worse and worse? It’s not gonna get better and better.

America in my mind is the last, greatest, stronghold for the defense of freedom in the world. And if the Antichrist is gonna come, he either has to come from America or America has to go under because how can you agree a one world government will America as strong as it is unless America is destroyed? And I got a sermon on that, but anyway, when we’re right along here. Look what he says down here in verse seven, and Joseph saw his brother and he knew them, that made himself strange into them and spake roughly unto them.

And he said unto them, whence come ye? They said from the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not. And so Joseph says, and remembered the dream which he dreamed of them in verse nine. Your spies, your spies. He knew they weren’t spies, but he says, your spies and buddy, were they afraid? And so he put them in prison in verse 17, he put them all together into word three days. He let them sweat it out for three days in prison.

And Joseph said unto them the third day, this do and live for I fear God. If you be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison, go ye and carry corn for the famine of your houses. But bring your youngest brother unto me. So shall your word be verified and ye shall not die.” And they did so. Oh boy, now they’re in a bigger trap. They gotta leave Simeon there. Go back home and Simeon’s gonna die if they don’t bring Benjamin back to verify.

You think God’s working behind the scenes? Remember, He’s got to get the whole family down here. He’s solving problems. And verse 21, and they said one to another, we are barely guilty concerning our brother. And that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear. Therefore is this distress come upon us and Reuben answered then saying, Spake I nod unto you saying, do not sin against this child and ye would not listen to me, you would not hear.

Therefore behold also his blood is required. They’re talking about Joseph. They’re talking about Joseph 20 years before. We should have never done this and this guilt is upon us. His blood is on upon our hand and they didn’t know that Joseph could understand what they were saying. And in verse 22 and Reuben answered them and said, not I under the desk. In verse 23, and they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spake unto them by an interpreter and he turned himself above from them and he wept and returned to them again and communed with them and and took from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes.

And Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, restore every man’s money into a sack and give them provision for the way and thus they did. So he laid them down, gave them so much and sent them home. And when they got home, now they got explained to Daddy where Simeon is. And to let him know, look, He wants us to bring Benjamin back. And Jacob was beside himself. This is not what he wanted. Look at the verse 28, he said unto his brethren, my money’s restored.

Lo, it is even in my sack and their heart failed him, but they were afraid, say, and went to another, what is this that God hath done to us? They knew God’s doing something to us. And they came unto Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that befell them, say, saying, the man who is the Lord of the land spayed roughly to us and took us for spies. Verse 31, he said unto them, we are true men, we are no spies.

We be 12 brethren, son of our father. One is not, I wonder which one referred to. That referred to Joseph. And the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. So then Jacob says, why did you have to tell him about Benjamin? Well, he did. So he says in verse 36, and Jacob, their father said unto them, me have ye bereaved of my children. Joseph is not. Simeon is not. And ye will take Benjamin away?

All these things are against me. Really? Is all these things really against him? all this is for him. God had a plan. But in his mind he cannot understand why God is doing what he’s doing. But God is working behind the scenes. And he says in verse 37, Ruben spake unto his father, saying, slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee. Deliver him into my hand and I will bring him to the again. And the last part of verse 38 says, then shall ye bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave?

In other words, just think of all those years he is mourned for his son, for Joseph. Now, Simian is in prison, and now they want to take Benjamin, things were not looking too good. And then God had to do something for looking verse 1 of chapter 43, and the famine was sore in the land. So it came to pass when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt. Their father said to them, go again and buy us a little food.

And Judah says, wait a minute. We have to take our younger brother with us. So anyway, as the story goes, it happens. And in verse 8, and Judah said unto Israel, his father, send the lad with me. And we were all rising go that we may live and not die. But we endow and also our little ones. In other words, if we don’t, we don’t have any food deep, we’re all going to die. So they were forced to do it, didn’t want to do it.

So God had to make them want to do it. Now they could have just stayed there and died, but who knows what God would have done. And so as you go down through here, you reach and mighty wonderful things. So what happens? You find out that… All these people, when they went back down there and when Joseph revealed himself to his family, his brothers, they all wept. They were all excited. And they thought at first, maybe he’s going to kill us all.

He says, you go back and you get father. And he laid him down with all kinds of stuff. And here they come. So just look there in chapter 46. Chapter 46 and verse 26. where it says, and all the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons wives, all the souls were three score and six. And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls, all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were three score and ten.

How many is three score and ten? This is amazing, just happen to be 70. Seven is a number of perfection. What could have been 71, 72, 70? Just coincidence. No. There’s something to it. God is doing a work. And He knows what He’s doing. So we know that Joseph winds up passing away and all these things happen that was wonderful, look there in chapter 50. Chapter 50 verse 1, Joseph fell upon his father’s face and wept unto him and kissed him.

Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father and the physicians embalmed Israel. Now I guess like they did that in Egypt, you know, like one of the mummies? Be interesting. Anyway, it wasn’t long before he died also, but look in verse 19 of chapter 50. Joseph said unto them fear not for I am in the place of God. Now the word God sent me here. Look in verse 20, but as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive.

Now therefore fear you not. I will nourish you and your little ones and he comforted them and spake kindly unto them. Down in verse 25 he says, and Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. And so Joseph died, been 110 years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. And when they left, They took him out just like God said what happened.

See, God told Abraham before there was Isaac and Jacob and Joseph, you’re going to be done enough strange land for 400 years. He told him that in advance. God keeps his word. God will not fail you. See, God’s given us a lot. He just wants us to believe him. I want to show you one illustration that I learned. I learned this from Hank Lindstrom. No, I didn’t. We learned it from the same guy though, Dr. A. Ray Stanford. And I haven’t found a better way to do it yet.

If I ever find a better way to present the gospel, then I’ll use it. But so far, this is number one on my list. So if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, you’re not sure. You don’t really understand it. then listen, this hand represents you and me, the wallet represents sin. We all have sin on us. Now God says that He loves us. He hates what we do wrong but He loves us. And He says to pay for sin, does eternal separation from God in a place called hell?

But God doesn’t want us to go to hell. You see, God wants us to go to heaven and heaven, He’s perfect. In heaven, heaven’s perfect. And we have to be perfect to go there. So by just reasoning alone you could realize, hey, I ain’t going, and you ain’t either. Aren’t going. You didn’t know I knew English. Did you know I’m an English major? I’m not. I just wondered if you would believe that. But God says that He loves us and wants us to have eternal life and go to heaven whenever we die.

But God says you can’t earn your way to heaven. See, there’s nothing that you and I can do to remove this in debt. So going to church doesn’t take away the bad, and giving money doesn’t take away the bad. It doesn’t pay for anything. So God says, you cannot save yourself by your good deeds. So going to church, I’m glad you did. money, but I’m glad you did. But it won’t get you to heaven. When we pass the hat, you can even take some out as for the heathen anyway.

No, we don’t even do that. We don’t even pass the hat because we wouldn’t get the hat back. We don’t encourage that. Remember that. But God wants to know, he loves you. He loves you. So he did something to show you how much he loves you. So this hand represents Jesus Christ. He’s the Lord God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us, hates our sin. Because our sin separates us from him. So Jesus Christ who had, No sin didn’t have to die.

So he took our sins, paid for them on the cross. And he says that if we would believe that he did that for us, he would give to us his righteousness. So you see, if he gave you his righteousness, that would make you and I as righteous as God. We go to heaven on his righteousness, not mine. When God sees me, he don’t see my sins because Christ paid for those. He sees the righteousness of his Son. I go to heaven.

That’s why the Bible says, for he God had made him Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be sinned for us that we might be made the righteousness of God. She’d go to heaven, you’ve got to be as righteous as God. By your good works you can’t. That’s why God said it is the gift of God. It’s not of works lest any man should both. I can’t say I’m going to because I’m so good, because it’s not true. I’m going to heaven because he is so good that he loved me.

I’m a sinner. I’m a sinner. I do not deserve to go to heaven. I do deserve to go to hell. But God loved me. And he showed his love for me and sinned his son so that if I would believe that he did it for me, he would give me eternal life as a freak yet. That was the best news I ever heard in my whole life. And I guess I just want to keep telling that for the rest of my life.

Let’s pray, shall we? Every head bowed and every eye closed. No one looking around. But if you’re here this morning and you’ve never trusted the Lord, would you just talk to the Lord and say something simple like this? Lord, I’m a sinner. I know I don’t deserve to go to heaven. But I believe when Christ died, He died for me. And I’m going to trust Him right now as my Savior. And friend God said, if you would trust Him right now, He would save you right now and give you eternal life right now.

The moment, the very moment you believe it, you have everlasting life. And God said He had never cast you out and never lose you. And when you get up to leave, you can say, I know I’m going to heaven because today I trusted Christ as my Savior. And friend, if you’re making that decision, I’d like to have prayer for you. I’m not going to have you forward, not going to embarrass you. But I’d just like to know with an uplifted hand, she said, yes, that made sense to me.

And I will trust Christ right now as my Savior and pray to our life for you to pray for me. Would you slip you in a very quickly and put a wrap back down? Does anyone at all? Anyone at all? Just very quickly slip it up and put a wrap back down. Father, we do thank you so much for your word. For giving us so much, help us to understand that even in our time and our own life, you are at work.

Thank you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen. Well, it’s a new month and that means a new offer to those who support Bibleline. And this month we have something really special for you, the brand new book by Greg Steer, the founder of Dare to Share Ministries, called Gospelize. What a fabulous book written about the model for evangelism according to the book of Acts. Greg is a way of teaching some profound truths in simple and easy to understand ways, practical examples that you can use immediately.

I could not put the book down and when I finished it, I wanted to stop everyone on the highway and tell them of the free gift of salvation. And this life-changing book is yours for a gift to Bibleline in any amount. Our mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And don’t forget to include your mailing address as well. God bless you and thank you again for supporting Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believe in that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.