Well, good morning. It's good to see everybody. Scattered here and there. That's OK. My wife and I do thank you very much for hospitality. And more so than that, the fellowship getting to know you better each time. I've been here. It's. It's such a joy to meet brethren again and again and then some new brethren. And it's always a joy to a visiting pastor to look out and see familiar faces. Those who continually walk by faith and trust in the Lord.

Because your trials are just like ours just because you're in Kentucky. And we're in Missouri. Not Missouri, but. that if you're from Missouri, you say Missouri. There's no I, it's an A. But it's the same. Sin is the same. Whether you're newborn or whether you're 98 years old, that's got to be dealt with. And I believe the writers of Hebrews said, sin is a hard thing to put away. And self, my wife made a comment years ago, and I think it's wonderful. It's true. Self is the last thing to die. It's a part of us. But a believer, the charity and the love that we have for one another because we love Christ is greater than what we see.

And so I'd like to just share, just before I get started, we'll be in Genesis 43, but I'd like to share something I pray for myself and I pray for you all. Paul's writing to the Romans, and he says this in the 15th chapter, and you don't have to turn there. He says, I am sure that when I come, when Lance and I come, we come to preach to you and fellowship with you and enjoy one another. When I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. not in vain philosophy, not in fancy words, but in the blessing of the gospel of Christ. And he says, now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the spirit that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.

So when I leave, when my wife and I leave, go back to Missouri, Missouri, that you will pray for us We're a small group and we've been a small group, but that's fine. That you would pray for us as we pray for you. Your struggles are, we have the same struggles, many of the same struggles. But I like what he says. And he says that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed. With you, we'll be refreshed. And I have been, we have been, we've been refreshed. But that's my desire for this message here and this one. I don't know. Genesis 43. Seems like the first couple of messages, the three words, the one word, We looked at exceeding sinfulness of sin and so on and so forth. And then we looked at our Redeemer. I'd like to look at Joseph as a believer. Joseph is a picture of a believer.

Us here this morning and see the tears of joy and thankfulness, the tears of joy and thankfulness. As Jim read. When Joseph, he hasn't revealed himself, you know the story, has not revealed himself to his brethren. They don't know. They just know he's a top dog. They know he's in charge of everything other than Pharaoh himself. This they know. But he hasn't revealed himself to them. So there's some things going on here. He says in verse 28, is your servant, Is the father, is he in good health? Verse 27, the old man whom he spake of, is he yet alive? And the answer is yes, he is in good health. Our father, they don't know he's Joseph's father, our father is in good health, he's yet alive. There's one, there's one thing. And then it's in the context, and I looked at this, and to me, in the context, verse 29, he lifts up his eyes and he saw his brother, Benjamin, his mother's son, and he said, is this your younger brother of whom you spake unto me? And they said he is. It's his younger brother. I don't know if he's ever met him. I don't think he has some context.

In verse 30, excuse me, Joseph made haste. For his bowels, his heart and soul did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep, and he'd enter into his chamber and wept there. Now, verse 30 that I just read declares decidedly that Joseph, unable to contain himself, sought where to weep. He wanted to get alone. He couldn't contain himself. These tears of profound and uncontrollable joy were the direct result or the direct fact or the direct truths or the good news of two things. His father was yet alive. And he beheld, he saw Benjamin, I think perhaps for the first time.

One old writer says, yes and amen. The spirit of the one, or I'm sorry, the sight of the one and the news of the other created such an ecstasy of joy in Joseph's heart as was too great to bear.

Now, these last two days, we've heard of Christ and Him crucified. We've heard the almost incomprehensible fact that we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us. We've heard the truth to remember the bondage that we were under from sin, Satan, and the world. And then we were to remember the pure, free, selfless, voluntary, redemptive work of Christ Jesus for us.

Now, knowing these things, can we not be like Joseph? Could we not? Tears of joy. and gratitude and thankfulness. Oh, I sometimes put myself in these situations. I would have loved to have been able to follow our brother into his chamber and just listen. What prayer would have flowed from his heart? What thanksgiving, what rapture unto Jehovah God we surely would have been witness. That's what I desire for us to witness this morning. Can we also echo the thought and intent of his heart, how God has been ever gracious in his providential dealings?

Stanley and I were talking about that, God's providence. Can we not be thankful? You look back and say, God has led and fed all the way. And it's up and down. We suffer like other people. He has been providentially good to us in his dealings with us through his darling son. How kind and compassionate to us were that we're here and that we even understand the truth.

When we came down 13th Street, and I didn't realize there was another church called 13th Street. It's a whole lot different, I'd say. Free will. Satan's got a delusion and the people believe that delusion. How far our God has been from giving us what we deserve because of our sin nature. How marvelous are his works to those who would not trust him nor follow him even from birth. We will not have this man reign over us. And he has even meted out to us, in Psalms 103 verse 10, what our iniquities deserve. Shall we not shed the tears of sweet joy and celebration?

Look with me at verse 29. We'll do this one first. And Joseph, this is who we're speaking of, us, lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and he says, is this your younger brother of whom you spake? Yep. Yes, it is. Clearly, for the first time, he, as it were, Joseph is holding all the cards. Is he not? You know, they're coming to him. He's got all the cards. He can give them corn or not give them corn. He's second in command. But with one look, the Lord brought him down. With one look, he looked over and he saw his brother. I say for the first time, have we seen Christ? He's our brother. He's turned in the scriptures. He's our elder brother. That's what I'm talking about.

Now we see Benjamin as a type of Christ and the side of this. Like those old serpents look and live, look and live one with one. Look, Joseph is brought down. The, uh, the Lord flips the worldly script and we are humbled. with one look, knowing what we are, knowing what we deserve, knowing we haven't got it, but we deserve hell and damnation.

I think I read something years ago, Spurgeon, he was going to be preaching, Surrey Gardens, he was going to be preaching somewhere else and they were putting up the you know, a lot of preparation, you know, 20,000 people or whatever. And apparently, from what the story is, is that there was a janitor, just somebody putting everything together, and Spurgeon got up there to test the acoustics. And he said, look unto the Lamb. Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Well, the Lord saved that man. He heard the word. He looked. He looked just like Joseph. And I pray that we're just like him. We saw no beauty in him. Sin was exceeding sinful to us. The law and God's judgments were hard against us. There's no way out of this prison called sin. We're dead in trespasses and sins.

But then God, who's rich in his mercy, through his everlasting gospel and covenant of grace, through the accomplishments of Christ and the blessed work of the spirit of grace and supplications, he talks about in Zechariah 12 and 13, open our eyes to behold the brother, the brother, my brother, your brother, this one who was born for adversity, This one who is one among a thousand, it says in Job, one who is set up for sin and uncleanness to pardon and cleanse us from every last blemish, so much so that it is emphatically stated in the word of God in John 13, we are clean every whit, every whit.

Now, by divine revelation and arrested by sovereign immutable grace, we shall go to our chambers this night, go home, or rejoice here. And we will rejoice and give thanks to our Redeemer, our elder brother. Or I like it how it says in our text, look at verse 30 again with me. Joseph made haste for his bowels. That's the deepest part, that's the heart, that's the soul. His bowels did yearn, that word in Hebrew means to be deeply affected for. His bowels did yearn, not for doctrine, it's important, not for denomination, for specifically his brother, his brother.

It sounds, this passage to me reminds me of, we talked about it, those two on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24. I like how, again, how it's worded in the scriptures. In verse 31, after they've talked with Christ, we'll go to verse 30 in Luke 24, and it came to pass, as Christ sat at meat with them, he took bread and blessed it and break it and gave thanks, in remembrance of him. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, did not our hearts burn just like Joseph, burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures.

Faith, I can't overemphasize the importance of gathering together and hearing the word preached. Faith comes by hearing, not my opinion, not my view, but hearing the word of God. Our Savior did not shed his blood in vain. He actually accomplished eternal redemption for all those for whom he suffered. And he is now seated in the heavens on the right hand of the majesty on high, Hebrews. That's our brother. That's our friend. That's our God.

Now the second thought, back to our text, why else did Joseph, as like we should and do, why did he rejoice? Why did he weep? Why did he find a place to get alone? So important. He heard good news. Look at verse 28, and they answered him, the brothers, and they didn't know who he was again. Thy servant, our father, is in good health. He's yet alive. And then this phrasing, he's yet alive, is the same thing what happens later on in Genesis. Jacob says about his, they said Joseph is, he's yet alive. And Jacob, the father, he's like, I'm done. I can die in peace. I can die in peace. He's like Simeon in the New Testament. He goes, He has that baby, he has a person, not a concept, not a theological dilemma, he is holding a person. And he says, Lord, let me die in peace, because I have seen thy salvation. He calls salvation, he calls this person salvation, and that's what we've been trying to say. Salvation's in a person, the person, our brother, but, Our Father is alive. Our Father is yet alive. That's a good report.

Our Father is yet alive. Unbeknownst to us in time, because of the blindness and veil upon these wicked hearts, we could not see nor really know the God of this book, the sovereign, supreme, majestic King. We sing that song, years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified. That's true. We couldn't see. It has to be revealed.

And he's going to use the preaching of the gospel, or the telling. Scott Richardson told me one time, he said, tell us what you know and who you know. That was it. Yet through the quickening work of the Trinity and the declaration of his truth, We've been telling you, he is alive. What good news? What good news to those who knew him not?

Year after year, sunrise, sunset, line upon line, precept upon precept, this truth, this book, still stands. Still stands. Detractors have been trying to say, well, this is not here, and this shouldn't be here, and this and that. This book says every word of God is true, is written under inspiration. This book still stands, and it says in Genesis 18, shall not the judge of the earth do right? I have the right to and the will to and the means to redeem my people from their sins.

Isaiah 43, he says, I've created thee. I can do all my pleasure and none can say, what are you doing? Daniel chapter four. Turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter eight. Ecclesiastes chapter eight. Ecclesiastes chapter eight and verse four, where the word of the king is, there is power and who may say unto him, what are you doing?

You bet, where the word of the king is. The written word about the living word. He's alive. He is alive. He's in good health. He's sovereign. He's supreme. He's on his throne. He's in total control. And he is my father and yours if he's revealed himself to you.

What jubilation, what elation and delight, if not tears, fill these hearts. It's okay to cry. Go ahead. And Jacob did it when he saw the wagons. Yeah, I know, you say he's alive and he was skeptical, but when he saw the proof, This is what we have. Have you seen him here? You've heard him. He's been preached. Do you believe the record, the account of his son? Time would not allow me to view the many saints, if you think about it, that show the same tears of joy as Joseph. You could look at David, 2 Samuel, these would be the last words of David. Though my house be not so, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered that all things ensure, though I don't see it grow.

What about Naomi? She left, she left prosperous, and she said, don't call, I'm nothing. But he restored her joy. I'm sure she was in, she's in her chamber when she heard about Ruth and Boaz What about Ruth? Handfuls of purpose. Handfuls of purpose, providentially set there so she could make, she could eat. The Lord's done this, doing the same thing with us.

Job, perhaps they say it's the earliest book in the Bible, I don't know. But I know he knew his Redeemer, he says, my Redeemer lives. And I'm going to see him with these own eyes, not another, these own eyes. He's my father. He's my brother. I'm going to see him.

And I would like us to turn to this one in Judges chapter 7. So many examples. Let's look at Gideon. Judges chapter 7. Gideon, he's like me. He has fear. He has the fear of man. Does it sound familiar? He's human. He's flesh, flesh and blood. He's the judge, so he's got to do some things. He's got to take some responsibility. And there's about to be a big war. And you remember the story. He's got 32,000 men versus, I think, in Chapter 8, over 100,000. The Midianites. That's a great difference right there.

And the Lord says, we're not gonna do 32,000. Why? Because we'll seek the glory. That's what he says very clearly. He says, you'll seek the glory. Verse seven, and the Lord said to Gideon, by the 300 men that lapped will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thine hand and let all the other people go their way. So they took their vittles, verse 8, and they went their way. And incidentally, so that lapped it, these were the men who a soldier would kneel down with one knee and look around while he's taking a drink. These that the Lord's going to use, they got all, are all on a horse, and their heads lapping like a dog. Not the folks you want to be at war, but this is what the Lord's going to do. It's because they will take the glory.

Verse two, the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many to give the Midianites into their hands, because lest Israel glory themselves against me, saying, mine own hand has saved me. He will not share his glory with another. He will not do it.

So anyway, here's the story. The Lord's already told Gideon, a man of faith, like us, men, women, boys and girls of faith, I pray, I hope, it came past the same night, verse 9, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host, for I have delivered into thy hand. But if you fear to go down, and he did, he's just like us, go with this Fuhrer, thy servant, down to the host. So the two of them go into the camp where there's 100,000 of these enemies sitting there. They go right down into the camp. I don't know why they weren't seeing the Lord's providence. And they listen to what's being said. And that's the story.

Thou shalt hear what they say, and afterward shall thine hand be strengthened to go down unto the host, Then Gideon and this other gentleman went down onto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along the valley like grasshoppers for a multitude. And their camels were without number as the sand of the sea for the multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and he said, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley, which is, they ate it, but it was mainly used for animals, is nothing, tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it, and it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

And this other Midianite said, he answered, he said, this is nothing else, save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for into his hand Hath God delivered Midian all the host?

God is so minutely sovereign in every atom, every hair, everything that he could take Gideon and he'd be at the exact time, at the exact place to hear this exact man tell a dream. And a lot of times, if you're like me, you have a dream and you forget it. The Lord made sure he remembered it. And he told it loud enough so Gideon heard in the midst of 100,000.

And we think, oh, I got my arms. No, put those arms down. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Does he not abide with us?

Well, what do you do as a believer when you understand this? Well, you find a chamber and you weep. And you praise God that you have a brother, the brother, and you praise God that our father, sovereign, kingly, is on the throne.

But we do more. We do what we're doing right here. Look at the next verse, verse 15. And it was so when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation thereof, the next three words, he worshiped. Then he worshiped, right there. That's what we're doing here. That's what we're doing. Worshipping not a God, the God. That's what we're trying to do.

Well, I close with just a few verses. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, their vain. Therefore, let no man glory in men, for all things are yours. All things are yours for whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come. That's pretty well everything.

All are yours. You're in Christ. He cannot deny himself. We abide in him. He abides in us. I keep referring to that message. It's just unimaginable. But so says the world that we could have a brother like this and a God such as this.

you bet all things are Christ's and Christ is God's. Oh, to have a clear view of our glorious brother and to know beyond question our father lives for us. And I believe you will say in agreement with Jacob, It is enough. Didn't he say that when he met Esau? He was afraid. They said the same words. They both said it is enough. But they're two different words. Our brother said it is enough. That means I have all. And that's just what we read in Corinthians. We have all.

So I beseech thee. I encourage you. I implore you. Rejoice. After the message, after this time of fellowship, go home. Go to the chamber, your chamber, and weep. Tears of joy and gratitude. I've said this from this pulpit, I know, because I say it about anywhere I go. I love, one of my favorite quotes is from George Whitefield. I dare not preach an unfelt Christ. I don't, I'm not afraid of feelings. I know feelings come and go and all that, but tell that to Joseph who couldn't contain himself. Now I'm not saying get all emotional, get wild, no. Funnel it through faith. If whether our Lord withholds something or he grants it, it's for our good. He knows best and knows us best.

Retire to our chambers and weep and give thanks and be at peace. Be at peace. For Peter says, referring to the believer in Christ, whom having not seen, ye love. In whom though now you see him not, yet believing, Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. And we know the glory he's talking about is the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

May the Lord bless this time. Thank you.