Well, let us turn to God's Word. Turning again to the portion
we read here in Genesis 45. The theme I want to try to address
tonight is that of the manifestation of the true Joseph. The manifestation of the true
Joseph. And that text is found in the
opening four verses of the chapter. I'll read the four verses, and
here at the beginning of Genesis 45, Then Joseph could not refrain
himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Cause
every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept
aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And
Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Doth my father yet
live? And his brethren could not answer
him, for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came
near. And he said, I am Joseph your
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt." Now, clearly in these verses
we see Joseph making himself known, manifesting himself. We're told, aren't we, there
in verse 1, there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself
known unto his brethren. And now twice he says to them,
verse 3, I am Joseph, he says. And then again, in verse 4, he
calls them near. And they came near and he said,
I am Joseph, your brother. whom ye sold into Egypt. The manifestation there. Joseph
revealing himself to his brethren. We were considering something
of Joseph, you will recall, last Lord's Day evening. Then we were
back in chapter 41, verse 38, and the words that Pharaoh spoke. after Joseph had interpreted
his dreams, none of the wise men of Egypt were able to interpret
the dreams of the Pharaoh, but how the butler had remembered
what Joseph had done in the prison when he had interpreted his dream
and he'd been restored, whereas the baker's dream had been interpreted
and he had been hanged, lost his life, but then how the butler
had forgotten all about this man. who was able to interpret
the dreams and he remembered he remembered as the Pharaoh
required someone to come and interpret the dreams and so Joseph
is brought out of the prison and we were considering how he
came and interpreted those dreams and didn't only give the interpretation
but went on to give wise counsel through the Pharaoh as to what
he should do. The dream was that there would be seven years of
great plenty but then there would be another seven years of great
famine and great wants and Joseph gives counsel as to how matters
are to be ordered in the years of plenty that there might be
provision for those terrible years that would follow and we
looked at the words of the Pharaoh and what he said, can we find
such a man as this is? in whom the Spirit of God is
can we find such a man or such a one as this is a man in whom
the Spirit of God is and we thought of that man in whom the Spirit
of God is and so we considered something of Joseph as a typical
character directing us to the Lord Jesus Christ and so we see
it again here as Joseph manifests himself to his brethren, does
not the Lord Jesus also many times manifest himself to his
people? Let me just remind you of certain
facts concerning this man, this remarkable character Joseph.
He is a typical character. We have him here at the end of
the book of Genesis. Do you know what Genesis is?
It's the book of beginnings. That's what the word Genesis
means. The Genesis of a thing is the beginning of a thing.
And here we have the beginning. In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth, the origin of life, the creation
of God. And Genesis is therefore a book
of beginnings. But I said last time it's something
more than that, because it's also revealed to be a book of
generations. As we go through the book we
see time and again that expression. We go back to chapter 2, the
second chapter of the book, and there in verse 4 we're told these
are the generations of the heavens and of the earth. when they were
created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. The generations of the heavens
and the earth. And then, when we move on a little
to chapter 5, we read these words. This is the book of the generations
of Adam. in the day that God created man,
in the likeness of God made he him. Male and female created
he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam in the
day when they were created." The book of the generations of
the heavens and the earth, but also the book of the generations
of Adam. And then again in chapter 6,
remember, And verse 9, these are the generations of Noah.
Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah
walked with God. The generations of Noah. And
so, we come through the book and eventually we come to chapter
37. And as I said last time, there
we have the generations of Jacob. the generations of Jacob. But
what follows really in that 37th chapter then right through to
the end of the book is the history of Joseph. These are the generations of
Jacob Joseph being 17 years old, we read in verse 2 of that 37th
chapter. And then right through to chapter
50, we have an account of all that pertained to the life of
this young man, Joseph. How significant is that? The
generations of Jacob, who becomes Israel, all those generations
center in Joseph and Joseph's history. Now, what is the significance of this?
Well, we remember that Israel in the Old Testament are a typical
people. The whole nation of Israel, the
physical descendants of Jacob who became Israel, they are a
typical people, they are a type of God's true spiritual Israel. And that spiritual Israel is
ever that godly remnant that God leaves in the midst. They're
not all Israel that are of Israel. The language of Paul in Romans
9. They're not all Israel. God's true Israel is a remnant. God's true Israel is a spiritual
people. Again, the language of Paul there
in the second chapter of Romans, he is not a Jew which is one
outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the
flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision
is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter,
whose praise is not of men but of God. God's true. People are
always a spiritual people. And this Joseph, who was a very
real character of course, one of the twelve sons of Jacob,
this man directs us to a greater one, the Lord Jesus Christ. The
generations of God's spiritual Israel, who do they center in? They all center in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Joseph is one who directs us
into the Lord Jesus. with regards to his generation,
why he is the head, he is the head of the body, the church,
he is the fullness of him that filleth all in all. Or can we find such a one as
this is? A man in whom the Spirit of God
is. Jesus of Nazareth. Who is Jesus
of Nazareth? He is the Christ. Remember how
that is baptizing as he comes about of the waters of baptisms
and the heaven opens and the spirit descends upon him in the
form of a dove and the father speaks those words from heaven
this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased the three persons
of the God Hedir, God the Son, God manifest in the flesh coming
out of the waters of baptism, the Father speaking those words,
this is my beloved Son. Now the Father owns and acknowledges
him. He's then also anointed by the
Spirit. The Spirit descends upon him
in the form of a dove. And God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto him. O God, giveth not the Spirit
by measure, he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God. For
God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him, we're told
there at the end of John chapter 3. Is Joseph one in whom God's
Spirit is? How much more the Lord Jesus
Christ? the Anointed of God, the King of Kings and the Lord
of Lords. But how striking it is when we
consider something of the history of this man and we see him clearly
as a type. How Joseph is very much rejected
of his brethren. Remember how in that 37th chapter
he sends to them, caring for the flocks
of their father Jacob and far from home, Joseph is sent to
them. What do they say? How dismissive
they are of him. He was a dreamer, wasn't he?
He dreamt dreams at the beginning of the 37th chapter. All their
sheaves had bowed down to his sheaf. The sun, moon and the
the stars that all bow down to him on obeisance and he tells
them the dreams and this is God of course God speaking to him
he is going to be exalted in this family but what do we read
concerning his brethren when he comes to them sent by their
father they said one to another behold his dreamer cometh come
now therefore and let us slay him and cast him into some pit
and we will say some evil beast hath devoured him and we shall
see what will become of his dreams and the oldest brother Reuben
hears and delivers him out of their hands and says they would
be wise not to kill him but that's not the end of his trouble because
what are they to do? Well, verse 26, there Judah says
to his brethren, what profit is it if we slay our brother
and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our
brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
Then as the Midianites passed by, they they draw him out of the pit,
they sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and then they take him off into
Egypt. He is rejected. He is a rejected
man. And in this surely he is a type
of the Lord Jesus. He came unto his own, and his
own received him not. Oh, what was the great cry of
the Jews at the crucifixion? Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him! The Lord Jesus, you see, was
rejected just as Joseph was rejected of his brethren. The Lord Jesus
comes, of course, as one who is the seed of Abraham. He's a descendant from Abraham,
and of Isaac, and of Jacob. But he is rejected of his brethren. But then also, it's remarkable,
isn't it, As Joseph is so exalted, so he is in that position where
he makes every provision for those who come to him. He opens
all the storehouses when they come. There in chapter 41, verse 56, the famine was over
all the face of the earth and Joseph opened all the storehouses
and sold on to the Egyptians, and the famine was sore in the
land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt
to Joseph or to buy corn because the famine was sore in the land. There we see Joseph as that one
who is making provision for his own family, for their sustenance,
giving them the wealth of the land that there might be that
provision. and yet we know how much greater
the antitype is when we think of that wonderful provision that
is in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and all of it so
free why it comes all together without money and without price
The words of the prophets there in Isaiah 55, O everyone that
thirsteth, he says, Come ye to the waters, and ye that have
no money, come, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for
that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfies
not? Hearken diligently unto me, And
eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself
in fatness. What do we have in the Gospel? Well, what do we have there in
the Gospel? We have a wondrous provision. In Christ there dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bottomless. And the Lord Jesus Christ is
that one who is spoken of there in Isaiah 55. It goes on, doesn't
it? Incline your ear, come unto me,
herein your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have
given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people." This David that's being spoken of, this witness,
leader and commander, it's the Lord Jesus Christ. He makes a
far more glorious provision for sinners than that that is made
by Joseph when he has his position of great authority. The man who's
next to the Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt. And all that the Lord provides is free. It's a free salvation. That's
what the Gospel sets before us. even today, it's still the acceptable
time, it's still the day of salvation. And this salvation is without
money, it's without price. When we come really to the very
end of the book of God's, the very last chapter in the Revelation,
the Spirit and the Bride say, come and let him that heareth
say, come and let him that is a thirst come, and whosoever
will. let him take of the water of
life freely. Whosoever wills. Oh, what a wonderful
provision. And it is there, but in type,
when we read something of the life of this man Joseph, the
anti-type. Oh, it's so much more glorious.
But let us come to consider something of this manifestation. He is
a typical character, he's Joseph. And what we have in the portion
that I've read here at the beginning of chapter 45 is a manifestation
and it's a personal manifestation. It's a spiritual manifestation
but it's so personal. There stood no man with him while
Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. The Lord Jesus
deals with us individually, personally. Wasn't it Tiptoe who said all
real religion is personal? There's a place of course for
that that is corporate. Our services here today are corporate
worship. We are not to forsake the ascending
of ourselves together. There is such a blessed truth
as the communion of saints. And we believe in the gathered
church. The Lord gathers his people together
into local churches. But the Lord deals with this
all personally. That's the wonder of the ways
of the Lord. And now the Lord Jesus gives that great promise
when he speaks to his own disciples. There in the 14th chapter of
John's Gospel, he speaks of manifesting himself to them. He's going from
them. He's beginning to tell them he must go from them. If
he goes not away, the Spirit will not come. But if he departs,
he will send the Spirit to them. but the Lord also promises that
he will he will not leave them comfortless he will come to them
in chapter 14 of John verse 21 he that hath my commandments
and keepeth them ye it is that loveth me and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and will
manifest myself to him Judas sat on him not Iscariot Lord,
how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto
the world? Jesus answered and said unto
him, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father
will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him. Oh, there is the promise, the
Lord will come, and he will make himself known
to his people. Judas, Judas doesn't understand
what he's saying here, how can this be? But the Lord is not
speaking of a physical manifestation, he's speaking of something that
is spiritual. He goes on to say, doesn't he?
He has a little while and the world seeth me no more, but he's
saying that. He has a spiritual relationship
with his people. Even when he has gone from them,
yet he will come again to them. after the resurrection. Who does
he reveal himself to? He doesn't reveal himself to
the world. He reveals himself to those whom he has chosen to
reveal himself to. Remember what Peter says in the
house of Cornelius here in Acts chapter 10 as he preaches. This is the The Gentile Pentecost,
we were considering it just a few weeks ago. What does Peter say
in the course of his preaching concerning Jesus? Him, God, raised
up the third day and showed himself openly, not to all the people,
but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us. Even to us. And doesn't Paul
give us some list really of those to whom the Lord did truly reveal
himself after his resurrection. Remember the language that we
have there in the 15th and 1st Corinthians. He was seen of Cephas, then of
the twelve, after that he was seen of above five hundred brethren
at once of whom the greater part remain unto this present. but
some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen of James
and of all the apostles and last of all he was seen of me also
as of one born out of due time. The resurrected Christ reveals
himself to his disciples. That's a manifestation, it's
a wonderful manifestation. It's the proof of the reality
of his resurrection because he actually saw his resurrected
body. And they saw that body that had
risen from the grave ascend up into heaven as we read in Acts
chapter 1. But the Lord still comes and
manifests himself unto his people. And he does that of course by
that gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit. Isn't that what
the Lord is saying in those chapters in John's Gospel? Where he speaks
of him coming and coming as the blessed comforter. In chapter
14, for example, you can read all these chapters, these remarkable
three chapters for yourself. Look at the way in which the
Lord speaks here in John 14 and verse 16. He says, I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another comforter. that he may abide
with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but
ye know him. For he dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you. Again he says later, doesn't
he, verse 26, The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.
and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have
said unto you." There is that spiritual ministry of the Spirit
of God who comes to reveal the things of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has that self-effacing ministry. He shall glorify me, says the
Lord, in chapter 16 of that Gospel. He shall not speak of himself,
he shall take of mine. and shall show it unto you. Oh, the Lord says, search the Scriptures. In them ye think that ye have
eternal life. These are they that testify of
my. Is that how we read the Scriptures?
That we might search them and find the Lord Jesus Christ? Do
we come to this book and read it and we want the Lord himself
to reveal himself, to manifest himself? We read it in the privacy
of our own homes. Is that our desire? Or we want
to find the Saviour? He's here. And the Spirit is here. And the
Spirit is the one, of course, who first gave the words. Those
holy men of God, how did they speak? They were moved by the
Spirit of God. That's how they spoke the words
of God. The Spirit was in their ministry. All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God. It's the breathings of God. And
the Spirit is the one who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
He has given the Word. We read the Word and we don't
understand it. Many a time we read a portion,
we don't understand it. What are we to do? Or do we not
need to ask the Spirit to come? and be our interpreter and our
instructor and open the word to us and give us an understanding
of it. He comes as the Spirit of Christ.
There is a manifestation. Joseph made himself known unto
his brethren. Twice he says, I am Joseph. I
am Joseph. I'm your brother. Doesn't the
Lord Jesus come and reveal himself to his people. He's that one
who sticks closer than a brother. And yet, it's strange, isn't
it, when we know such manifestations, gracious revealings of the Saviour,
there's a sense in which it troubles us, maybe. This was the experience
of these men As we see here in verse 3, at the end of that verse,
his brethren could not answer him. They were troubled at his
presence. The margin says they were terrified
at his presence. And you know, there is something
quite terrifying about the manifestations of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
we see it, we see so clearly in Peter's experience there at
the beginning of Luke chapter 5. There are the disciples, they
were fishermen, they'd been toiling all night, they'd caught nothing.
And the Lord appears and He advises that they cast the net again
and they take in a remarkable catch of fish. What does Peter
say? Depart from me, O Lord. Or depart
from me, I'm a sinful man. He sees something of the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we do but see the glory of
the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a terrible thing to behold.
We feel what we are, a sinner's end in the sight of God. And
these men, you see, they were so conscious, stricken. That's
why they spoke as they did. What have they done? What have
they done with Joseph? Oh, they've sold him into slavery. They've done the deeds. And now,
here he is, and he's in that place of great authority. His dreams have come true. His
dreams have come true. I think I remarked last week,
I can't recall if I actually did, but I think I may have done,
that 103rd Psalm that speaks to us of Joseph. And I love that
verse, until the time that his word, that's God's word, came,
the word of the Lord tried him. We find it in Psalm 103, which
relates something of the history of God's ancient covenant people. Until the time that his words,
God's words, until the time that he came,
that word tried him. Now, God had given the word back
at the beginning of chapter 37, Joseph was going to be exalted, his brethren were going to do
obeisance to him, all his family really, the moon, the star, the
moon, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars, all his family. And so it was, but how How terrible
it was for his brethren. How Joseph is so gracious in
the way in which he deals with them. Verse 5, Be not grieved,
he says, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither. For God
did send me before you to preserve life. And do you remember how it was
right at the end of the book after Jacob has died and still
they fear that Joseph will gain his dreadful revenge. But what does Joseph say to them
in verse 19 of that last chapter? Fear not, he says, for I am in
the place of God. or am I in the place of God? And then again he says to his
brethren, As for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant
it unto good to bring to pass that it is this day to save much
people alive. Now therefore fear ye not. I
will nourish you and your little ones, and he comforted them,
and spake kindly unto them. He's a remarkable character,
and isn't this the way of the Lord, how he comforts us, how
he speaks so kindly unto us. There were times we're fearful
that we've offended so much against him. You know, it's a real mark
of grace when we're troubled over our sins, and troubled over
our sins in the light of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's not so much that we've been
transgressors of the holy law of God, that's awful. That will
stop our mouths when we see what we are as sinners before a law
that is holy, a commandment which is holy and just and good. But
how much more, how much more when we see what Christ suffered
as that one who is the great sin bearer of his people. we
are to look upon him they shall look upon me whom they have pierced
he says and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his
only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness
for his firstborn there we see the awful horror of what our
sins are and what our sins have done when the Lord comes and
manifests himself to us we come to the Lord's table presently
And I know we should examine ourselves as we come to eat of
that bread and drink of that cup. And as we examine ourselves,
maybe we feel so utterly unworthy. But of course we know that it
was all done for sinners, that's our comfort. We're not to hold
back because we feel our unworthiness, but as the Lord comes and communes
with us there, and that's what we desire, surely that the Lord
will come and and community. We sometimes refer to it as a
communion service. We're communing with the Lord.
But do we not then feel how awful our sins are? How can we ever
sin in the light of that remarkable love and grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, having loved His own, which were in the world? He loves
them to the end and so often we're so immersed in the things
of this world and yet He loves us. Or there is something quite
troubling when the Lord comes and grants us gracious manifestations. But then finally this evening,
just to say that here we have that great promise. I've already
intimated something of it, of provision. A satisfying feast. Really, We look for the gospel
feast. What does Joseph go on to say? Verse 6, These two years have
the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years
in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God
sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth
and to save your lives by a great deliverance. How Joseph nourished
me. How Joseph nourished his His
father and all his household, later in chapter 47, is it? Verse
12, Joseph nourished his father and his brethren and all his
father's household with bread according to their families.
Well, if Joseph the type could make such a glorious provision
for his family, how much more the true Joseph, our Lord Jesus
Christ. the feast of fat things, of wines
under leaves, well refined. My flesh, He said, is meat indeed. My blood is drink indeed. And He calls us near. Oh, He
comes, you know, so close to us, doesn't He? He comes to us
in the ministry of the Word, the preaching of the Gospel.
He comes to us at the Lord's Supper. What is the feast if the master
of the feast is not present? But look at what Joseph says
here to his brethren. He says, Come near. Verse 4, Joseph says to his brethren
so troubled at his presence, Come near to me, I pray you.
And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph. your
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. The great love of Joseph, but
what is that compared with the great love of our Lord Jesus
Christ? And He comes near to us, and
He says, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and
he that cometh to me I shall in no wise cast out. or that
we might know then something of Him who is the true Joseph,
even our Lord Jesus Christ, as He comes to make Himself real,
as He comes to reveal Himself, to manifest Himself to us, even
here in the Word of God. May the Lord be pleased to bless
His truth to us. Amen.