• Pharaoh appointed Joseph second in Egypt. • “Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy

word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt” (Gen 41:40-41).

• Joseph’s position would have been something like a prime minister in many modern nations.

• Joseph bragged to his brothers about his dreams (37:5-11). • His dream about the sheaves.

• His dream about the celestial bodies.

• Bragging causes much strive. • “Charity vaunteth not itself” (1 Cor 13:4).

• The sinful Gentiles boasted (Rom 1:30).

• When we boast, we focus on what we can do, rather than on what God can do.

• Joseph’s life changed spontaneously (Gen 37:12-36).

• Our lives, too, can be changed spontaneously. • “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go

into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (Js 4:13-15).

• We need to live knowing that our lives can change spontaneously.

• Joseph resisted the temptation with Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39:7-12).

• We need this same resolve in resisting temptation. • When we are angry, we must not sin (Eph 4:26).

• We need to put on the whole armor of God so that we may stand in the evil day (Eph 6:13).

• Our Lord prayed that we would not be led into temptation (Matt 6:13).

• With all Joseph endured, he remained faithful to God. • When Potiphar’s wife attempted to seduce him, his reply

was, “How can I sin against God?”

• The LORD showed Joseph mercy while he was in prison.

• When prisoners were troubled by dreams, Joseph said that the interpretations belonged to God (Gen 40:8).

• Humanly speaking, Joseph had every reason not to be faithful.

• Joseph’s brothers greatly wronged him.

• Yet, he forgave his brothers (45:1-8).

• We must forgive those who wrong us. • Our forgiveness from God is dependent upon our

forgiveness of others (Matt 6:14-15).

• We are to forgive one another as God in Christ as forgiven us (Eph 4:32).

• Joseph kept his word to his father. • Joseph promised Jacob that he would bury him with his

fathers (Gen 47:29-31).

• Joseph kept that word (Gen 50:4-7).

• We need to keep our word. • We are to let our “Yes” be “Yes” and our “No” be “No”

(Matt 5:37).

• We are to speak the truth to our neighbor (Eph 4:25).

• God continually sharpened Joseph’s life. • Over and over Joseph was knocked down, but God

would lift him up.

• “God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gen 45:7).

• God can work in our lives as well. • He will work in any situation (Rom 8:28).

• How does He do so? • Our character may become stronger.

• We may be able to minister in new ways.

• We may depend on God more.