Turn to Genesis chapter 41. Genesis chapter 41. I have two passages to read, but
let's first of all read Genesis chapter 41. Let's just begin
in verse 53. And the seven years of plenteousness,
that was in the land of Egypt were ended. You see that? Were ended. And the seven years
of dearth, note that word, and the seven years of dearth began
to come, according as Joseph has said, and the dearth was
in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt, there was
bread. And when all the land of Egypt
was famished, do you see that? Famished, the people cried to
Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said unto all the
Egyptians, go unto Joseph. Basically saying, don't approach
me with this matter. You go to Joseph. And look, go
to Joseph. What he saith to you, do. An old Calvinist like me liked
the word do. I do when it comes from God.
God helped me not to despise it when he says do. And the famine
was over all the face of the earth. Joseph opened all the
storehouses. And Joseph opened all the storehouses
and sold them to the Egyptians. And the famine waxed sore in
the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt
to Joseph for to buy corn because that the famine was sore in all
the lands. Now here's a sister passage to
that in chapter 47. Turn it in if you wish to read
along. Genesis chapter 47, verse 13
says this. And there was no bread in all
the land, for the famine was very sore, so that the land of
Egypt and all the land of Canaan faded by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the
money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan
for the corn which they bought, and Joseph brought the money
into Pharaoh's house. And when the money failed, You
see it? And when the money failed. In
the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians
came unto Joseph and said, give us bread, for why should we die
in thy presence? For the money faileth. And Joseph
said, give your cattle, and I will give you for your cattle if money
fail. And they brought their cattle
unto Joseph. And Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses
and for flocks and for the cattle of the herds and for the asses
and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year
and said unto him, we will not hide it from my Lord how that
our money is spent. My Lord also hath our herds of
cattle. There is not aught left in the
sight of my Lord but our bodies and our lands. Wherefore shall
we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our
land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh,
and give us seed that we may live and not die, and the land
be desolate. And Joseph bought all the land
of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his
field, because the famine prevailed over them, so that the land became
Pharaoh's Basically as this was transpiring Pharaoh was getting
it all Pharaoh was getting it all now. Here's my title and subject dearth
dearth and famished Dearth and famished Now, although we are
fallen and corrupt, and fallen and corrupt we all are by nature. But although we are fallen and
corrupt, God bestows plenteousness upon us in this world. Joe's
already said it. We get a whole lot more than
we deserve in this world of God's natural blessings. And although we are corrupt and
fallen, God bestows plenteousness, and we're still, by nature, ungrateful. We're still, by nature, ungrateful.
In some way, even though we may even, through a sense of righteousness,
think it's only but a small thing, we think God owes us something. The only thing God owes us is
condemnation for our sin and sins. Oh, that God would bring me to
dearth and famine. Oh, that God would bring me to
dearth and famine. Before, I believe he has, but
even still today. Because God doesn't stick me
in dearth and famine. I will still try to live upon
the thought of plenteousness and will not give God glory for
it. That's how bad I am by nature. And that's how bad you are by
nature. Has God? Is God? Will God famish me continually
that I might flee to Joseph? That's what it was all about.
Now let me say it as it really is. Has God, is God, and will
God famish me continually that I might be forced to flee to
Jesus Christ? Let me give you three things. Thank God, plenteousness ends. That's hard to say. It's even
harder to live. You hear what I'm saying? but
thank God, plenteousness ends. I hope you get what I'm saying.
Verse chapter 43, verse 41, verse 53, and the seven years of plenteousness
that was in the land of Egypt were ended. Thank God when he
brings you to the end of your plenteousness. Hmm. What do I mean by that? Our Lord
said this, and I'm not gonna go into all of it, that he was
gonna send the Comforter into this world, and when he's come,
he will reprove, and that word doesn't mean like we think, like
I reprove my child. I just say to my child, that's
wrong, you done wrong, you best not do that again. If you do,
there will be such and such consequences. This reprove here means to convince,
and it says, and when he has come, he will, convince the world
of what's the first thing? S-I-N. Hear me now. Not S-I-N. S. I can convince a man of sins. A man himself may be convinced
of sins when he goes to the bar, drinks far too much, and gets
in a brawl and wakes up in the hospital the next morning with
a huge hospital bill and he can say that was not right. but none of us can be convinced
of sin apart from a sovereign work of the Spirit of God in
our hearts, because all of these sins, things we do that are wrong,
and they are wrong, and they are damning. But that's all a
result of S-I-N, period. And that dwells down in here,
even when everything out here looks to be very pleasant. Every
pleasant. Let me give you some examples.
Nebuchadnezzar's plenteous ended. You remember that? I mean, he's,
I own all this. And God said, I will stop you
in your tracks, you rebel. And he did. And what did he say
after it was over? His plenteousness ended. And
what did he say after it was all over? I now praise and extol
the God of heaven. That's a good place to be whether
God saves you or he don't save you. Whether you end up going
to hell later, that's a good place to be even now. God restored
unto him the glory of his kingdom. Isn't that what the book says?
You remember the prodigal? He had plenteous. Plenteousness. Give me my inheritance. The father
gave it to him. Did he not? And what did he do?
He wasted it with riotous living. Why? Because the riotous living
was wrong. But why did he do that? Because
he was wrong down in here. And it got to the place where
he became what? Hungry. I mean, I'm not talking about
it's time for our noon meal hungry. I'm talking about hungry, hungry.
Nothing in my belly for days. And he would have fain eat the
very husks that the swine were eating. And he came to himself
and said, I will arise and go to the Father. Why? Because there's
where the bread's at. There's where the bread's at.
Oh, if God leaves me in my plenty, I'm doomed forever. If God leaves
you in your plenty, you are doomed forever. We had a pastor come here and
preach for us here several years ago and he made a statement along
this line. What does God have to do to condemn
a man? Nothing. Bless him with a good
job. Bless him with a loving wife.
Bless him with a really adequate, decent home. Give him loving
children. Give him nice vacations. And
he'll live all these years of plenteousness and he will die
and go to hell. And he had church in the midst
of all that that was going to his will. Oh God, cause a dearth
and make me famished in my soul. in my soul, number two, true
dearth forces my hand. You hear what I'm saying? True
dearth forces your hand. First 55 of 41, and when all
the land of Egypt was famished. This is just famished, this ain't
I just missed a meal. I could use to miss a few meals. We're not talking about missing
a few meals. We're talking about having no
food at all. Famished! Dirt has come! Famished! And they cried unto
Pharaoh for bread. And let me tell ya, I guarantee
ya, up until this point, many people asked many things of Pharaoh.
But it wasn't out of absolute need. Thousands of people, even me,
by nature, and you today by nature, we ask God for things even in
our plenteousness, but we'll never truly cry out unto God
until he makes us famished. Joe said it, quoting Henry Mahan,
you got all kinds of people today being saved that never been lost.
You got all kinds of people today come for healing spiritually
and don't know they even need spiritual healing. They're in
their plenty. They just want the extra. I want
my plenty and God you take me to heaven too. God keep me in
my plenty, maybe my plenteous righteousness. And then just
take me on to heaven too. T-O-O. No, before you ever truly
seek God's face in mercy, or, wrong, for mercy, God's gonna
have to bring you to the end of yourself. True dearth forces
your hand. And in John chapter six, let
me read a verse to you. John chapter six, it says in
verse 68, some people have left Christ
when he said, unless God Almighty does something for you, you ain't
gonna come to me. That's what he said. I'm paraphrasing, but
that's what he said. Unless God Almighty does something
for you, you ain't gonna come to me. What'd he do to those
Egyptians? Brought dearth and famine. That
made him run to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said, go to Joseph, he'll
take care of all this. Look, they walked away. And he
looked at the disciples when men walked away because of that
and he said, you gonna leave? Then Simon Peter answered him
and said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You got what we need. You see it? Thou hast the words
of eternal life. Spirit wrought conviction shuts
one up unto God's mercy in Christ. I mean really shuts them up to
it. It's not I'm in plenty and I
just want a little more from God to get me through to heaven.
I've got nothing. I will perish without bread and
I have no bread. God has shut me up by dearth
and famine. Oh God, be merciful to me the
sinner. God's mercy is only in Christ. Pharaoh says, go to Joseph. God the Father says, through
the Apostle Paul, there is but one mediator between God and
men, the man, Christ Jesus. If God ever brings you to dearth
and famine, he's also gonna bring somebody along to tell you, go
to Christ. Go to Christ. Go to Christ. Number three, true dearth and
famine works desperate measures. True dearth and famine works
desperate measures. The money failed. The property, the land, it failed. Even self failed. Isn't that amazing? Even self
failed. That's what it tells us in chapter
47, 15 through 19. Here's the New Testament equal
to that. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but the righteousness which is of God, the righteousness
of Christ, by the faith of Christ. And I count everything else as
what? D-U-N-G. These people were at the end
of themselves. They sold it all out. You see what it is? The money failed, the property
failed, self failed, it all failed. They had no place else to go.
That's a good place to be. Because there's one who has charge
of the storehouses. And when somebody's in true need,
he will, do you hear? He will open up the storehouses. but it's gonna be so severe that
you're gonna be willing to give it all up. You're gonna be willing
to give it all up, even, David, if he don't make you, give it
all up. You're gonna be willing, if that's what it comes to, to
give it all up. Well, I don't want that kind
of salvation. Then you're still in your plenteousness. You've
not truly been brought by God the Spirit into dearth and famine. You are still lost. I cannot
tell you you're not elect, but I can say to you, you are lost. And think about it, Pharaoh got
it all. Pharaoh got it all. Our Lord
Jesus Christ said, through Isaiah the prophet, Isaiah chapter 42.
I don't wanna misquote this. Isaiah chapter 42, and verse
eight. I am the Lord, that is my name,
and my glory will I not give to another. God's gonna get it
all. Now, Pharaoh already really owned
it all back then, because if he wanted to confiscate your
land, bless God, I bet you he could have confiscated your land.
God Almighty's absolutely sovereign over everybody. He owns everything
everybody has. He gave it to them if they have
it. But God brings his people to bow down and say, here, you
have it all. I just need your bread. I just need your bread. I need your son. Nothing else
really matters. Spouses don't matter. Children don't matter. Houses
and lands don't matter. My will, and I got one, but it's
a bad one. My will don't matter. Everything, when God brings you
to dearth and famine, everything will fail, and you'll be forced
to run to Joseph. You'll be forced to run to Jesus
Christ, and God will get all the glory. Now consider our Lord's
words as a matter of closing. Matthew chapter five, turn there.
These will be very familiar. These are what we traditionally
call the Sermon on the Mount. And the reason we call it the
Sermon on the Mount was because he was on a mountain when he
preached it, so it's simple enough. A good title for the Sermon on
the Mount. This here is the sermon from Sovereign Grace Chapel by
Walter Pendleton. Look at the words, verse six
of Matthew five. Notice the arrangement of the
words. Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Six quick things. Blessedness
must come first. You see it? But the blessedness
is not plenteousness. It's dearth and famine. Do you
see it? Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst. And in the Greek, this is not,
you missed the meal. This is not, I just need this.
And I needed that. That's not what it's about. I'm
hungry. My mouth is parched, the tongue
sticks to the sides if I stick it there. I have nothing to satisfy
this absolute need of righteousness. As a matter of fact, the more
I try to do to please God, the more I find out it's filthy rags
in God's sight. Blessed are they that do hunger
and thirst after righteousness. So to be brought to dearth and
famine is a good place to be spiritually. Is it not? It's
a good place to be spiritually. Here's the second thing. Hunger
and thirst is a, is, is a blessed state. It is. It don't feel like it. It makes
you have to cry out. It makes you run to God. God
says run to Christ. You do what he says. And you
say, okay. Okay. Number three, proper hunger
and thirst is good. That's if you're hungry and thirsting
after righteousness. And if you're hungry and thirsting
after righteousness, it means you ain't got none, uh-oh, Joe,
I used, you ain't got none of your own. Right? If you did, why would you be
hungry and thirsty for righteousness? When God brings you to that place
to where you realize your righteousnesses are not fit for God, then you'll
realize there's a real righteousness out there. I have to have that. Number four, proper hunger and
thirst will be blessed with a full belly. Blessed are they which
do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall Do you see it? Oh, isn't that a glorious gospel
declaration? For they shall be filled. Filled! Not just enough, Mac,
to get me through, barely squeaking by. Joe, it's plenteous redemption. Filled! Filled! Here's number five. What does
Colossians say? Colossians chapter three verses one through four
tells us this, Christ is our life. See, not only does Joseph
picture Christ, but that meal pictured Christ. He is. See, if God really saved you,
if he's brought you to dearth and famine and forced you to
run to Jesus Christ, You're gonna be filled, so filled that Jesus
Christ himself will be your life. I don't want to lose my job.
I don't want to lose my house. I don't want my vehicle to break
down on the way home and it be a massive breakdown. I gotta
go buy another one. Do you? I don't want to lose
my wife. But I'll tell you this, I know
this, I wish I could live like it. I wish I could conduct myself
like it, but I know Jesus Christ means more to me than anything
else in this world, including myself. Myself. And there's my worst problem.
Oh God, if he'd just break down self. You see, when God makes
you tired of yourself, and you can let go of self, it usually
becomes a whole lot easier to let go of other things. Let go
of other things. Here's the sixth thing. Am I? Am I what? Do I see that in myself,
when I look at me, back yonder, yeah, but right now today, too,
while I'm standing here preaching to you, when I look at me, do
I see dearth and famine? Is it palpable to me? Is it real
to me? Is it real? A dearth-wrought,
famished sinner, A dearth-wrought, famished sinner will run to Jesus
Christ. And he will say, the Bible says,
come ye by without money, without price. And he will say, Lord,
the money's yours, the land's yours, the cattle's yours, myself's
yours. I'm yours. Folks, that's what
salvation is. It is not walking an aisle and
make a profession of faith. That's what salvation is. Let's
stand and sing number two.