I thought I must just say before
we commence that I had a text yesterday and for a couple of
days for this morning quite clearly in my mind and I had meditated
on it and then last evening when I was reading the Word of God
just a few words sprang out really the text in the chapter that
we read and I really thought well this is very strange perhaps
these are the words that I should preach from and I was reminded
that I actually preached from only a few months ago so I didn't
want to just have a repetition and anyway I woke up in the night
and the words came into my heart again and I woke up this morning
in the same so I feel I should speak to you on them again And
the words are in the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and
the 9th verse. And the actual words are just
the one clause about God was with him. Now the 9th and 10th
verses read, And the patriarchs moved with envy, sold Joseph
into Egypt, But God was with him and delivered him out of
all his afflictions and gave him favour and wisdom in the
sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And he made him governor over
Egypt and all his house. What we see and what we prove
in our own lives is that God moves in mysterious
ways He moved in mysterious ways with Joseph Joseph wouldn't have
been able to have understood his pathway and often indeed
today perhaps we find ourselves in perhaps
not dissimilar situations and yet how comforting it is to know
as we ponder perhaps our own path to realise that God has
decreed that there are many examples in the Word of God of similar
situations which clearly show to us that we have a God who
rules and reigns. In the 105th Psalm we read just
a few verses about Joseph And we're told as we come towards
the end of that, or the middle of that 105th Psalm, these words,
moreover, he called for famine upon the land. He break the whole
staff of bread. And all these things are part
of God's plan. We can just see things happen
and we wonder, well, why is that happening? Well, God sent a famine
into Egypt for a specific reason. Because he'd sent a man before
him, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant, whose feet they
hurt with fetters until... fetters, and he was laid in iron. Now, you might think, well, fancy
Joseph having to endure that. Here was a man that God was with,
God was directing, God was encouraging, and yet he was put in prison,
and it wasn't comfortable in there, he was put in fetters,
iron fetters, and they weren't just put on gently, they hurt
him. Whose feet they hurt with fetters. He was laid in iron until the
time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and loosed him,
even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. And he made
him lord of his house. and ruler of all his substance. So we see there just a few verses
concerning Joseph. And we have a little insight
into the situation. But there he was in prison, not
a very comfortable situation. And as we think of the life of
Joseph, remember he was some 17 years away from his family, his brothers
that sold him, into people that sold him also
to Potiphar. And again we see there how he
was mistreated, mistreated by Potiphar's wife. She claimed
that he was doing things which he wasn't and through those things
he was put in prison. And there he was for many years. And of course prisons weren't
like they are today. They were very uncongenial and
very uncomfortable situations. And so we're thankful that we
have a very clear statement in simple words, but God was with
him. That doesn't mean to say he wasn't
going to be tried, he wasn't going to be tempted, because
quite clearly he was, from that statement in the 105th Psalm. So we should recognise these
words are in the Word of God for our instruction and perhaps
for our encouragement. You see, he was tried, he was
tested. Many times he must have thought,
relative to his dreams, were they from God? Were they true? Were they going to come to pass?
It seemed almost an impossibility. And yet, we should realise that
this statement is very true, but God was with him. He wasn't
given up to despair. And now he was able still to
stay upon his God. And again we should just ponder
these situations because we today are blessed with the Bible aren't
we? We have so many examples in the
Bible of how the Lord supported his people and strengthened them.
But you see in the day of Joseph the Old Testament hadn't been
written. and quite clearly the New Testament hadn't been written. There had been information which
had been clearly passed down, and that was evident from the
account we've read in this 7th chapter, that Stephens was able
to remind them of some of the things which had happened. And
of course in his day things had been written down, but not in
Joseph's day. So it was really a test of faith,
wasn't it? For Joseph. But God was with
him. We wonder perhaps, what his thoughts
were? What his thoughts were of God?
Well, we know that we read of Abraham and his belief with regard
to the Saviour. We're told, Abraham saw my day,
that's referring to Jesus, and was glad. Well, he was blessed
by faith to look forward, to recognise the prophecies which
had been given, and to rely on them. Well, we need faith today. but just ponder and consider to compare ourselves with those
who lived in and before Joseph's time and indeed right up until
really Moses which is many years afterwards because as we know
the Israelites were 400 years in Egypt and it was a long time
wasn't it? we tend to lose sight perhaps
of the true picture and we realize how God gave them wonderful faith to believe the simple words which
God gave to the prophets which he gave to Adam and Eve way back
in those early days and the revelations which were given to Abraham in
a special way with regard to the truth when he was told to
offer up Isaac. You see the glorious picture
there of substitution. But it would have been really
a very dark scene, wouldn't it? And yet you see, here we have
this wonderful statement with regard to Joseph in prison, but
God was with him. We read of Moses, He endured
as seeing him who is invisible. Surely that could be said of
Joseph. He endured. He endured all those
17 years, having been wrongly condemned. Yes, a hard time,
wasn't it? An unjust sentence, we might
say. and yet the Word of God declares to us very positively that God
was with him and perhaps sometimes we need
to ponder words like that and we consider our own life and
think well things aren't working out in a way that we anticipated
It seems to be a very strange path that I'm being led in by
the Spirit of God. Well, we read this clear statement,
but God was with him. And God is with all his people. It's wonderful, therefore, if
we are given faith to believe it. In the 8th of Romans, that
well-known chapter we're told this if God be for us who can
be against us sometimes it may appear that people are against
us no doubt Joseph felt that people were against him but God
was preparing him and preparing the situation to be developed
so that He would appear for him and he would use him. Again,
Joseph could never have envisaged that he would be next to Pharaoh
as a ruler in that nation. He could never have ever thought
about it. And he could never have thought
therefore that his dream would be fulfilled and that element
which was not clearly shown in the dream would indeed come to
pass God's ways are higher higher than our ways
it's a great blessing when God gives us a spiritual understanding
to be able to acknowledge that God is with us and God's ways
are higher than our ways. And what a mercy it is then to
rest. We should always realise when
we are perhaps in what we might think are difficult times, to
realise that the Word of God is true, As it's recorded in
Deuteronomy, underneath are the everlasting arms. God supports
us in our times of need. We may not perhaps at the time
realise it, but it's good we can look back and recognise that
God is directing us and God is with us. What a mercy, what a
mercy. We were told in what I just read
in the 105th Psalm, until the word of the Lord came, it tried
him. Until the promise was fulfilled,
it tried him. Well, our faith today is tested in the same way until
the promise is fulfilled we're tried we question it we wonder
whether we were mistaken we wonder whether it was all a myth it
was all just our imagination well no doubt Joseph went through
that scenario perhaps many times and remember it wasn't just enduring
it in a comfortable situation he was enduring it in the present
house well we can think of that in
a natural way we can also think of that in a spiritual way that
sometimes we may have to endure things in a spiritual present
house where it doesn't seem to be any
way of escape, doesn't seem to be any light, it always seems
difficult, it always seems to have gone wrong, and yet to realise,
to have faith to believe that such a word is true today in
our case as it was in the day of Joseph but God was with him
now no doubt there were those times when he was encouraged
we're not told any details but we are told that God was with
him so no doubt would have been those times when he would have
felt the influence of the Holy Spirit supporting him and strengthening
him and giving him faith to believe that although all things seemed
against him, God's work, God's promise, the dreams which he'd
had would come to pass. we have to recognise the word
of God tells us your time is always but my time is not yet
God has a perfect time we have to learn a lot, don't we? we
have to learn a lot we have to learn a lot about ourselves we
have to learn a lot about what God has promised and what God
has spoken And how good it is, therefore, when God leads us
into all truth. And in the day and age in which
we live, with the glorious Gospel so clearly defined, what a wonderful
view we have of those things being fulfilled which were prophesied
so accurately in the Old Testament. and that Jesus was born in the
way it was declared and he did live in the way it was declared
and he did die in the way it was declared and he did rise
again in the way it was declared and he did then go to be with
his father in the way it was declared all those things are
there for our encouragement and so may we bless God for them
and bless God for his word and recognise the detail it gives
to us to be encouraged therefore that what God has said will come
to pass in your life and my life and what he's promised also to
us by his grace to be able to look forward to that time when
we shall leave this earth and to go on to be with Christ, which
is far better. What a good and wonderful favour
it is if God then gives us sometimes a views of that, little tokens,
little touches, little encouragements, that although our sin is stacked
against us, although we think perhaps These blessings can never
be for me. Well, God has promised. And my friends, the devil will
endeavour to take away those things that he has said. Well,
may we rest in the promises of God. You know, Joseph, in that
prison house, was alone, wasn't he? There weren't other prisoners. that he could converse with on
the things of God he was shut up to God it's a mercy when sometimes we
are shut up to God because in those situations we prove that
God is with us and we prove that God gives access at the throne
of grace which perhaps seems far off from us but God has an
appointed time to favour us an appointed time when we are
enabled to cast all our care upon him an appointed time when
we are able to pour out our heart before him. It's clear, isn't
it? In that reference, in that 105th
Psalm, that David there was blessed with realizing that God understood
all about him and that God indeed was directing him and blessing
him. What a wonderful God we have. How gracious is our God, because
we read that he was tossed about. He sent a man before him, even
Joseph, who was sold for a servant, whose feet they hurt with fetters,
and was laid in iron. Until the time his word came,
the word of the Lord tried him. The word of God is tried. It
is tried. And what a blessing it is when
God comes and directs us to those things which are a true benefit
for our soul. What a mercy, then, if we can
find we're being instructed by God. The path is never easy. The path to the Church of God
never has been easy. And yet, honestly, We're so foolish
to sometimes think it will be easy. Well, it's going to get
better. Well, we're not promised it's
ever going to get better this side of glory. And, you know,
when God was, the Lord Jesus was speaking to his disciples,
he spoke to them and he encouraged them. And he said, what I do,
thou knowest not now. but thou shalt know hereafter. As God leads and directs us,
we look back and we see how God was gracious, how God taught
us, how God instructed us. Indeed, how God blessed us. By these things men live, said
Hezekiah. yes Hezekiah had to pass through
a time of natural sickness sometimes we pass through a time of natural
sickness sometimes a time through spiritual sickness and Hezekiah
was able to say by these things men live God was with Hezekiah
God hadn't left him but it was to test his faith to test whether
he was relying upon God and to bring him to be able to declare
so positively by these things men live God tests us to increase
our faith what a mercy it is you know we have those examples
don't we in the book of Daniel where he tested Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego where he tested Daniel and you know we read these
accounts and perhaps they just pass over our head but they were
very real death was there before them they weren't
able to hide from it naturally speaking Death was to come. And yet, you see, they didn't
give in. No, they were firm in their faith. Now, we're not faced, perhaps
at the moment, with death, but perhaps we're faced with the
test of our faith. And perhaps it's very trying,
and perhaps it's just like being thrown into the fire, like Shredra,
Mishek and Abednego. And perhaps we fear that everything
that we'd hoped for would be burnt up. Well, you see, the
fire wasn't able to touch Shredra, Mishek and Abednego. Not their
clothes, And when they came out, not even the smell of fire was
on them. It was a wonderful deliverance. God was with them. But they had to go into the fire. It wasn't as though they stood
at the edge and then God said to the king, oh, well, they needn't
go into the fire now. They can be freed. they had to
go into the fire but God was with them sometimes
we think, oh well we won't have to endure that God will appear
God will deliver us we may have to go into the fire but you see
it was so wonderful wasn't it? that the king came and said,
he saw four men walking and the fourth was like unto the Son
of God. How clearly was this word worked
out in their case? God was with them. My friends, if we have to go
through fiery trials, And the Word of God does speak to us
about that, doesn't it? Fiery trials. That means it's
going to be very hot, very difficult. And yet what a mercy to realize.
And if that is so, like it was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
God was with them. They had faith to believe that
whatever the outcome was, it would be well. They were willing
to suffer, they were willing to die, but they knew whatever
the outcome was, that it would be well. God given faith. But God was with them. and then
we read and delivered him out of all his afflictions all his
afflictions all the difficulties naturally and spiritually delivered
all his afflictions and then we see how God gloriously delivers
and we're told he gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh
king of Egypt and he made him governor over Egypt and all his
house. See, God works in a very remarkable
way. God prepares his people for times
perhaps of being in a position of importance. He knew that it was God that
had been with him. He knew that it was God that
brought him to that position to be able to speak and to tell
Pharaoh what his dreams meant. It was a remarkable way, wasn't
it? And we see again how that was worked out. There were the
king's servants, the butler and the baker, put in prison. And there was Joseph able to
decipher what those dreams meant. And they came to pass. And then
remember what Joseph said. He said to the butler when he
was delivered, remember me. You'd think the butler wouldn't
possibly have forgotten, would you? But there he was for two
years. He forgot all about the butler. Well, again, another testing
time, wasn't it, for Joseph? It wasn't getting easier, was
it? He must have wondered, however was God going to appear for him? However was his dreams going
to be fulfilled? Everything seemed to be stacked
against him. but yet we're thankful to be
able to read but God was with him and also we're thankful to
be able to read and this God delivered him God does deliver
his people from all temptations and all difficulties at the appointed
time but God has an appointed time what a mercy it is to realize
that God has the best time you see Joseph couldn't be have been
delivered before then because there had to be a famine because
the famine had to be so difficult that Joseph's brethren had to
then come to Egypt If there'd been no famine, you see, before
it was all brought to pass, they wouldn't have come and God's
reconciliation with Joseph and his family wouldn't have come
to pass. You see how wonderful it is. Joseph's brethren had to be made
willing to accept the wrong they'd done. Long time, wasn't it? They were guilty before God. But God has a good time and God
has a perfect time. And similarly also then we can
think of Daniel. Daniel himself. He was not prepared
to obey the king when the command was against Almighty God. No, he was willing to be cast
into the den of lions and again just like Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego really there was no possibility of him not being
consumed the lions were very ravenous and as we know when
Daniel was taken up out of the lion's den and those, his accusers,
were cast in they were killed instantly by the lions but in
Daniel's case He was delivering. He was able to speak to the king
and answer that question. Is thy God able to deliver thee? My God has shut the lion's mouth. And that's wonderful. We see
it there in a physical way. We can see it sometimes in a
spiritual way. Sometimes God shuts the devil's
mouth. Sometimes he shuts people's mouths
against us. They're not able perhaps to say
or declare what they intended to. God is in control. What a blessing. but God was
with him but God was with him and you should just one more
example and that's David himself in David's life of course we
know that wonderful account when he fought Goliath and it was
very clear wasn't it that God was with him God was with him
God directed that stone that was slung at Goliath and felled
him. God was with him, with David
on that occasion. But we should realise that God
was no less with David when he was fleeing from King Saul. It wasn't quite such an amazing
deliverance, but it was. God was with David. He didn't
fall. Under the hand of Saul, he was
delivered. And in due time, of course, Saul
fell under the hand of God. But God was with him. It's really
encouraging. And you might go home and just
follow through. Many examples in the Word of
God where God was with him. New Testament times, Paul and
Silas, Philip, so many times when God was with them, directed
them in what to our minds might be strange but they were God's
purpose and we should always come back to realise that we
are in the hand of God and God deals with us in that way which
will bring honour and glory to himself. And that means that
God will bring us down. So we realise before a holy God
we're an unworthy sinner. We don't deserve any mercy. We
don't deserve any favour. And yet you see, even in those
situations when we might be under severe conviction It's God. God was with him. God is with
us. He's dealing with us in love
to our souls. No doubt Joseph didn't realise
it when he was in prison. You and I might not realise it
when we're in prison. Joseph was there when he shouldn't
have been. You and I perhaps sometimes are
in prison when we should be. But what do we see? God's mercy. What did Joseph see? God's mercy
and God's love to him in deliverance. What do we see? God's mercy and
love to us in deliverance. See, what a blessing it is when
in our great time of need, the Lord directs us to the Saviour. God brings us into these situations
to show us ourselves, to show us that yes, God is with us,
God's teaching us, God's directing us, and God's bringing us into
union and communion with himself. Is that not humbling? Is that
not wonderful? Do we not come and say, what
a God to deal with me, unworthy me in such a way for my soul's
eternal good and eternal benefit? Well, Joseph proved that God
was with him. My friends, by the grace of God,
every believer proves God is with him. Yes, there is deliverance. There is deliverance. And what
a blessing when God delivers us. And we're delivered when
He draws us to the Savior. And we see in Him all that we
need. God is with us. What a mercy
then to come to have such a merciful and such a gracious God who doesn't
deal with us as our sins deserve. We don't know, of course, the
details of Joseph's heart, do we? But we do see that in those
physical things which demonstrate to us God's care for him and
God's love for him and that God was going to use him in the most
remarkable way and he would never have been able to have boasted
of what he'd done but he would be able to boast of what God
had done for him and that's good when you and I can boast of what
God has done for us and be able to join in with these words,
that God was with him and to praise God, unworthy as we are,
that God has been with us. Amen.