introduced him, so I'm not going
to introduce him again. Brother Drew, you come preach
for us. After we get done here, We're
going to drive up to my mom's, which is by Nixa. I know you
know that name. She lives in a little town called
Shelnob. So we've got to endure that for a while. We'll enjoy
ourselves. As I said, I thank you all for
having me. I thank Darwin for being tired
and letting me come up here. when he was reading out of John,
turn with me to Genesis chapter 41 first. When he was reading
out of John and talking about miracles, there's several passages
in the scripture, but there's a section in the gospels where
he starts enumerating, Christ starts enumerating the miracles,
the lame walk, blind see, and he says these are all miracles,
and in there, and I'd read over it so many times, but it caught
my attention, he said the gospel is preached. Now, what I'm saying,
and what this man says every Wednesday and Sunday, he's telling
the gospel, he's telling the truth of the gospel. It's a miracle. Now we look at these things and
say, oh, he turned that, and it's a miracle. And do never
neglect. And people talk about, oh, we're
going to come and hear miracles and see miracles. Every Sunday,
according to the word of God, the gospel being preached is
a miracle, because God uses that. to call out his people. I just
thought that was, when he read that, my mind went back years
ago to that passage. It's a miracle. And it is not
lost on me this morning. Pastor Norm Wells out in the
Dalles, Oregon, he said, as preachers have to fight preeminence. We
have to knock it down all the time because we're flesh and
blood and a lot of times we think we're something and we're nothing.
May God knock the preeminence out of me this morning and may
He have all the preeminence and that's easy to say. That's easy
to say. Like we often say, Lord, I must
decrease, but you must increase. Well, that's easy to say. But
only the God, the Holy Spirit can do that. And you concentrate
on the things in this book that are being said, because I'm just
retelling. I'm not making anything up. Just retelling. So let's
look at this passage in Genesis chapter 41, we're gonna start
reading in 53 to the end of the chapter and in the first six
verses of chapter 42. And you're all familiar with
this story. Actually, Darva and I were talking about Genesis
and stuff and how we really like the typology and the pictures
of salvation and Christ and it's just, this is just one of them,
this is just one of them. Verse 53, and the seven years
of plenteousness that was in the land of Egypt were ended.
And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph
had said, and the dearth was in all lands, but in the land
of Egypt there was bread. And when all the land of Egypt
was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh
said unto all the Egyptians, unto Joseph what he says to you
do. And the famine was over all the
face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and
sold unto the Egyptians, and the famine waxed sore in the
land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt
to Joseph to buy corn, because that the famine was sore in all
Now, when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said
unto his sons, Why do you look one upon another? And he said,
Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Get you down
thither and by, for us from thence that we may live and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went
down to buy corn in Egypt, and Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob
sent not with his brethren, for he said, lest peradventure mischief
befall him. And the sons of Israel came to
buy corn among those that came, for the famine was in the land
of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor over
the land, and it was that sold to all the people of the land,
and Joseph's brethren came and bowed down themselves before
him with their faces to the earth. We're just going to stop there.
But before we get into this passage, I mentioned to you in regards
to God's free grace, are we tried and tempted And hurting, I tell you, there's
corn in Egypt. Are we unsure of God's sustaining
mercies in the day of trouble? There's corn in Egypt. Will we endure until the end?
Sometimes I ask myself that. Am I just playing games? Do I really understand the truth
of the gospel? And then I remember, there's
corn in Egypt. How will we fare in the long,
weary race that is set before us? There's corn in Egypt. For every ebb and flow along
our life's journey, remember, dear ones, there's corn in Egypt. We're like Spurgeon, he likened
preaching the gospel to a one-stringed instrument. And we just pluck. But preacher, don't you see what's
happening here? I see. Sometimes we understand,
but we're just men. Sometimes we don't understand,
but we know one thing. There's corn in Egypt. God's supply of grace. is super
abounding. So, and as Scott Richardson would
say, the believer's life is in three phases all the time. We're
heading into trouble, we just left trouble, or we're in trouble. It's just, you know, and that's
a yes. But if we say above that, there's
corn in Egypt. So look with me, let's just look
at a few things, six or seven points, as we go down starting
in verse 53. The seven years of famine, or
Plenteous, were ended and now there's famine. Now I ask you
this and I ask myself, why was this time of Plente ended in
the time of famine? Why did that come? Why did it
happen? Well, verse 54, according As Joseph had said, there is
nothing that happens in our life, good
or as we would say bad or whatever, there is nothing in our life
that God has not purposed in his decrees of grace, dealings
with the sons and daughters of Adam's race. I like what Job
says about God's glory. It's God's glory to conceal a
matter. There's times when we should
seek answers. We should seek to know more about
the Lord in different various situations and trials and difficult
times, but there's times we got no answer and we can't find an
answer in the book. Sometimes it's God's glory to
not tell you what He's doing. He's God and we're not. We do
not know what God does until after it's done. Like Tim James
would say, you wanna know what God's doing? Get the paper and
read. Read what God has been doing. But we as his children,
we are to like these children, like these brothers in verse
six of chapter 42, we just bow. We just bow to him and know that
what he does is always right. Is always right. Look with me at verses Note with
me, the dearth was in all lands. That is us from birth, by nature,
and practice. Depravity, this is a type of
depravity. It's all over the lands. But God, once beginning to work
his sovereign grace upon a soul, will bring that soul down with
nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I was doing
some reading about fishing, and in this country, we bait cast,
or trot lines, as I was getting little instructions about trot
lines and type of fish and stuff like that. But in the Bible,
no. He says to become fishers of
men, and what we do is we preach the gospel. If God is pleased,
through the Holy Spirit, to hem you up. Now this is Bible fishing,
this is, just cast it, nevertheless, Lord, at your word. We've done
this, we've done this, we've done this a hundred times. We've
circled Jericho. You're not telling us what to
do, you're just telling us to do it. We're doing it, we're doing
it, we're up here preaching. You come, you come, sometimes
you come and sometimes it's the preacher. It's like, I don't
understand what he's saying. Sometimes it's you. I'm not getting anything
out of this. Come, come, don't quit coming. I've seen it happen time and
time again. Trials are difficult, people, they won't come. This
is your refuge, in a sense. Christ is our refuge, but this
is a means of refuge. So, don't stop coming. Don't stop coming. Because depravity
is everywhere, and we're just And if God is intending to save
you, he's gonna save you through the preaching, the foolishness
of preaching, the preaching of his truth and his gospel, and
that's gonna surround you and you can't get out. It's a glorious
day when God hems you up to himself. And that's why we keep preaching
the gospel, because God commands us to. That's one reason. So
there's no help in and of our own selves. There's famine, there's
depravity. Sin, famine, everywhere we look,
everywhere they looked, there was famine, and everywhere they
went, there's famine. Positions, some people seek positions
in life, that will not help us. Titles, I got a title, I got
a badge or something, that will not help you. Money will not
save you. Other men's help will not save
you. Vain is the help of man. False
religions cannot help us. Self-will, self-worth, Self cannot
help us. Why? Because everywhere you look,
within and without, is a famine. And if you don't get bread, if
you don't get corn, like we just got done reading, we're going
to die. You're going to die. I'm going
to die. But look at what he says in verse
54, the last part. But in all the land of Egypt,
there was bread. In the place where God in Christ
is preached, there is bread. There's bread. The bread of life
is our only hope of a clear conscience, a forgiven heart, and a washed
garment. Okay, so you come where there's
corn. You come where there's bread. Go to Joseph. Go to Joseph, go
to Christ, go to Christ, verse 55. And when all the land of
Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and
Pharaoh said unto all the people, go to eat, go to Joseph, and
what he says to you, do. Go to Christ, flee to Christ,
look to Christ, like that brazen serpent, look and live. We're
only ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you,
be ye reconciled to God. We can't reconcile anybody. We
have the words, ministry of reconciliation. But I'll say one thing, I've
heard your pastor, I've heard him preach for us, I've heard
him on sermon audio, and there's some fine bread being served
here. There's a lot of stale, I don't even, we wouldn't call
bread, wouldn't be called bread. False gospel's not bread at all.
It's like that woman, the issue of blood, she just got worse.
So the finest bread served here known to man for sin and uncleanness,
for washing the stain away, for curing leprosy, for giving us
a perfect righteousness that only God will accept. We speak
of Christ. He's the only way, the only truth,
and the only life. And he is the bread of life,
which we just heard. We know that we're not sufficient. We
know that we are not sufficient. And we know that, like your pastor
prayed, if the Holy Spirit doesn't enable, it's just going to fall
to the ground. And it's the same with us. We've been raked over the coals
getting ready to preach the truth to you. It's a double-edged sword. We get cut. Oh, we think we're
skillful. If God doesn't open up a word
to us, that's why we, you know, and
you do the same thing, just the reading of the word. If I miss
the mark, at least God's word was read. Go to Joseph, go to Christ. Come
unto me, he says, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. Come
unto him, unto Christ, that ye may receive forgiveness of sins. But look at what he says at the
end part of verse 55. Go to Joseph, what he says to
you, do. The gospel is not a proclamation
of hope. Hope you'll do this or hope you'll
do that. It's a command. Look and live. Oh bless my soul for irresistible
sovereign calling by God the Holy Spirit. As he says in Psalms
110 verse 3, thy people shall be willing in the day of his
power. He makes us willing to do as he says. Believe, repent,
and be baptized. A new heart, he says, I will
give you a heart that follows him, serves him, honors him,
loves him, and worships him. Do what he says. What he says
to you, if you speak in your heart, Do, do, too. We cannot help, the believer
cannot help but to obey what God commands, for we are now
new creatures in Christ. Old things are passed away. And
as you grow in grace, and as you mature in grace, you'll find
your thought, you're always thinking.
about what you say, is it going to bring reproach to Christ?
You're more concerned, you're more cautious. And you love to look in the Word and see Him, see that scarlet
thread throughout the whole Scriptures. I heard an old, I read an old pastor,
an old preacher, He went into a church to hear
a young man preach the truth. And the young man saw him, and
as would be intimidating, he was intimidated by the old faithful
pastor there. And after he got done preaching,
the old preacher tried to get out before the young preacher
got back and caught him. And the young preacher, he didn't
make it. The young preacher grabbed him. He wanted to know what he
thought about his message. That's why he didn't want to
be there. The old preacher said, I didn't think much of your message. And the young preacher was taken
aback, and he said, well, weren't my illustrations clear? He said,
very clear, very clear. The text of scripture, was I
not clear in stating them so people could turn with me? Very
clear. And he went over two or three things, and the old preacher
said it was very clear. He says, well, then what? Were
you disappointed? And he says, you did not preach
Christ. And the young man said, I beg your pardon, Christ was
not in the text. And the old man said, son, Christ
is in every text. Your responsibility is to find
him and camp there. So we can read about Joseph and
we can read about these things, but oh, don't our hearts burn
within us? Joseph as a type of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and there's corn in Egypt, and we want to be where
we will live and not die. His grace is always sufficient.
Verse 56, and the famine was over all the face of the earth,
and Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold them to the Egyptians,
and the famine waxed sore in the land. They came to him, and
he opened up all the storehouses, come, buy corn, without money
or without price. This is where the type breaks
down a little bit, but we know. Come buy without money, without
price, for salvation has already been bought and paid for. His
supply of grace and his help in time of need will never run
dry. There's corn in Egypt. There's
corn in Egypt. His grace is free, is super bounding,
ready to pardon. Come, I say, to his rich, full,
free storehouse. Don't go anywhere else. It's
kind of like in verse 1 of 42, why stand you looking one upon
another? And that's what religion does,
halting between two opinions. Well, I don't want to preach
that. I don't want to preach sovereignty that sovereign. I
don't want to preach man's depravity that depraved. Yes, you do, as
you preach what's in the Bible. And God is completely and totally
sovereign over all things, and man is completely ruined. Years
ago, I heard it said the three R's. Well, why do we get away
from that? Ruined by the fall, redemption by the blood, and
regeneration by the Holy Spirit. But I ask myself this and I ask
you this, why then so many do not come? There's corn in Egypt. Why do so many not come? Well,
one, they are not convinced their situation is that bad. I don't
need bread, I don't need corn, I can make it on my own. I do
what mom and daddy told me to do. No, if they didn't tell you
to look to Christ and run to Christ, don't do it. Secondly,
they don't see sin exceeding sinful unto eternal ruin. Adam's
sin is our sin, and we're gonna go to hell if
God does not intervene. I mean, we cannot do anything
for ourselves. We have to convince. We're not
convinced. Holy Spirit conviction. We're
not, we don't see sin as exceeding sinful. We see it compared to
somebody else, and we always compare it to somebody else,
we're going to come out a little bit better. Thirdly, what I see a lot is
that people are too busy with the cares of the world, making
money. Raise your children. I know.
It's a burden. But raise them under the earshot,
raise them under The truth of the gospel. What is the profit
of man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Lastly, this is what I see as
well, they are duped by false free will religion and their own goodness. Duped. Duped. Fourthly, let's look at
verse 57. So they came to Egypt, and all
the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy corn. I tell you
once again, do not go where Christ is not truly, honestly, and according
to the scriptures taught. Our true need is to be found
in Christ. As I said, the preaching of the
gospel is included in those miracles. And I know, there's times I don't
wanna go to church, I'm the preacher, I don't wanna, it's like, no,
somebody else take it. And there's times I'm sure, it's like, well,
I'd rather be doing something else. I understand that, I understand
the flesh, I understand human nature, not as well as some of
these other men, but I see it. to be found in Him. We don't
know, we were talking about this the other night, somebody, you
get out, you go drive home, you get hit by a car, it's over,
done. Oh, we're trying to sell insurance. Nope. Nope. I'm just saying life is like
a vapor. It's a flower, it's here and it's gone. God give us the sense of urgency
for ourselves and for our parishioners and for their children to ask them time and time and
time again, what think ye of Christ? Boy, I get so excited and so
tickled or so rejoiced in my heart when I hear somebody and
their son or their daughter, they believe, or their grandchildren
who believe, it's just like, that's just, oh, it's amazing.
And that's not works. That's all by God's grace. Why
was there famine? Why was there plenty? Happened exactly what Joseph
said was gonna happen. And lastly, in this chapter 42, verses 1
through 6, we see God's sovereign electing grace seen in Providence. Seen in Providence. They come
to Egypt as brethren, they don't know who he is, they bow before
him. And I'll tell you what, Joseph knew that because what
he said later, he said, you meant it for evil, God meant it for
good. And I'll tell you what, if you're a child of the most
high this morning, each and every believer can trace his or her
situations of life and see God's gracious hand in it all. He has not dealt with us, he's
not given us what we deserve. That's why Christ gave us his
righteousness, his perfections, his God honoring Attitude actions
all these things because we couldn't do it. So I asked myself and
I asked you why did we get sick? Why did I get sick that one time?
Why was I down on my back for what whatever it may be? Why
did we get fired? I'm a good worker. Why did I
get fired? Why did I have such difficulty
those past five years or whatever? It may be why why why? I'll tell
you why because there's corn in Egypt And his grace is sufficient,
his grace is sufficient. Romans 8, 28, and we know that all things,
all things work together for good to them who love God and
are thee called according to his purpose. Now that Faith in
that word, the word written, unerring word written of God,
faith in Him is a big pillow for you and for me to lay our
head down every night, every night. All things work for good, for
good, for good. God in his sheer goodness and
fatherly charm will cross your path with the truth of the gospel
and he will bring you to that exact point in time when we will
abandon all hope of self and self-love and self-religion and
cause us to do what these brothers did, bow down themselves before
Christ with our faces to the earth. Job, though he slay me,
yet will I trust him. Nevertheless, at thy word, we'll
do this again. We bow down before him and see
that he is totally sovereign. Immaculately so, wondrously so,
and he's done it all for his people. He's done everything
he does for his people. All things are for you. We'll
tell him to do with us what he will, O Father, for whatsoever
you do is best and right for us, though we may not understand
it. The believer suffers like every other person. The believer
goes through sicknesses. The believer sees death. The
believer hurts just like every other person. But He is for us,
never against us. Now, I close with verse eight. It's kind of
like two bookends. Verse 53, why did all this happen? Because Joseph said it would.
God in Christ said this is what is gonna happen. This, the economy of this country
is going exactly as ordained. I know it's, that's aggravating.
I mean, I know we get, I get concerned. I look way too, too
many times at my, the Fox News, see what's going on. Our NASDAQ
out, let's go boy. Let's put it aside. God's on the throne. There's
corn in Egypt. There's corn in Egypt for his brethren. Now these are just perfect bookends.
What's so amazing about this whole truth of salvation in and
by Christ is, and Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him
not. Before time could be called so.
Before time could be called time. We are chosen in Him before the
foundation of the world. And I used to hate the doctrine
of election. And I thought, you know, that was, Ephesians 1,
that gave me a lot of trouble. So I decided to break it down,
get all my Greek tools and everything. One of the first things I looked
at. In the Greek, or in the Amplified,
it's God has selected you prior to the conception of the
cosmos. What do you do with that? You
bow to it. You bow to it. So here we have
this perfect book in the providence of God, things are happening
as Joseph had said, and Joseph knows exactly who his
brethren are and whether we know them or not. Now, there'll be
a revelation, and that's part of the story down the road. He'll
reveal himself through the preaching of the gospel. He reveals himself.
He came to seek and to save the lost. So we were always known
unto Christ, even when we knew him not. Oh, the splendor of God in the
person of Jesus Christ, I have loved you with an everlasting
love. Brethren, sinner, come to Christ
for sustenance and life and be at peace and never be famished again.
There's corn in Egypt. May he give us grace to lay hold,
trust, and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ. Pastor.