The Salvation of God

Bible verse: Genesis: 45:4-8 July. 04. 2021.

Title: The Salvation of God Sunday Morning Service

There are about 3 million foreigners in Korean currently, which is nearly equivalent to the population in Incheon, 2.9 million. This number is larger than populations in Daegu, Gwangju and Ulsan, which are 2.4 million, 1.5 million and 1.27 million

Considering that the population in Pohang is 500 thousand, there are foreigners 6 times larger than the population of Pohang living in Korea. Historically, there has been no cases where more than one million foreigners have lived in Korean except for the times of war. (※ Publication from Institute for Military History, Korean War 1st, 2nd, and 3rd volumes)

Why would foreigners, almost 3 million, come to Korea? There are several reasons for the foreigners to come to Korea such as to work, as exchange students, marriage, business, family visiting, and so on. However, there is as surprising hidden reason under the purposes of entry.

In Genesis 45:4-8, which we just read, there is a young man named Joseph. Joseph is the 11th son of Jacob among his 12 sons. However, Joseph become the prime minister of Egypt, the world’s most powerful country at that time.

Joseph is a Cannanite, meaning he is a Hebrew, an Israeli. This is a really surprising fact. How did Joseph become the prime minister of the world’s powerful nation? Having the verses we have read today in the center, I would like to share some stories with lesson with the title the purpose of God’s redemption.

Dear members of the Bible Forest Church who have came here this morning, there must have been a clear purpose when you came to Korea. As foreign workers, exchange students, married immigrants, business people, family members and so on. There must be other several purposes as well.

Nevertheless, deep inside the reason you came to Korea, there is a hidden purpose of God’s redemption. I pray in the name of the Lord that all the members all around the world who have come here to worship God this morning to realize God’s amazing plan; hope you to praise and glorify the name of the Lord.

Let’s read today’s bible verse 4-5 together.

Hallelujah. Amen.

The part we are reading right now is the moment Joseph, who became the prime minister of the greatest power at that time, and his bothers facing each other. However, the bothers standing before Joseph were shivering, being afraid. Joseph who is the prime minister of Egypt tell his brothers “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt”. What was he trying to say? Did his brothers sell Joseph into Egypt?

Joseph was hated by his bothers due to his dreams he had. He told his bothers and his father about his dreams which result into hatred for Joseph. Genesis record the story in this say; let’s read the verses together.

Hallelujah, Amen.

Joseph was going to his bother as his father sent him to encourage his bothers and bring word back. However, when his bothers saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they said “Here comes that dreamer”. Not only that, but they also were said to kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and tell father that a ferocious animal devoured Joseph. And so they did as they said. Let’s read chapter 23 verse 24 together.

Hallelujah.

Joseph’s brothers tripped him of his robe-the richly ornamented robe he was waring-and took him and threw him into cistern. The cistern was empty with no water. Dear members, the first plan they had was to threw Joseph after they kill him.

However, the plan has changed. His brothers were trying to kill him and threw him into cistern. It could be said that they were planning to murder and secretly buried him into cistern; disposing the body. Nonetheless, the plan went down the drain. How come? The plan to kill Joseph and dispose his body into cistern went up in smoke.

Let’s read verse 21-23 together.

Hallelujah, Amen.

Reuben was the eldest and the oldest of 12 sons of Jacob. When his younger brothers were planning to kill Joseph and abandon the body, then pretending as if he had been bitten to death by an animal, he felt killing cannot be done. That is the reason he told his brothers not to kill him as it is said in the bible “don’t shed any blood”.

And then he was going to rescue Joseph and send him back to father. Hallelujah. This is why the brothers were not able to do as they planned; to murder and secretly buried Joseph, disposing his body after that. There is one thing we need to think about; people usually think they design their lives and achieve as they achieve them by themselves.

However, in the deep inside the valley of our lives, it is God who controls, guides, designs, and plans our lives, being with us.

This is how Joseph perserved his life. Dear brothers and sisters, going back to today’s bible verse, it is written that there was no water in the cistern. If it was recorded that there was full of water in the cistern, even though the brothers did not kill Joseph, he must have drown in the water as he runs out of energy little by little

Nonetheless, it says there was not water in the cistern. Now look, after Joseph was put in the cistern, Reuben, who is the oldest, went out for a while; something happens in that situation. What has been happened? Let’s read verse 28-29.

Hallelujah, amen.

Midian merchants were passing by when the eldest Reuben was out for a while. Joseph was in the cistern as Reuben said not to kill him; Reuven was thinking to rescue him later and sent him back home.

Midian merchants were passing by the brothers when the eldest Reuben was out for a while. At that moment, the other brothers decided to sell Joseph to Midian merchants. That way we don’t have to kill him but we don’t have to see him in front of us and hear him talking about his dreams again!

Think about it. If Reuben did not go out and stayed with his brothers, He would have not allowed Joseph being sold to Midian merchants. What is even more surprising is that Reuben did know that Joseph has been sold to Midian merchants after he came back. Nonetheless, Reuben did not chase after the merchants to find his brother back. If he really did want to stop the death of Joseph and want his brother to get back to his father, wouldn’t he have gone after the merchants?

God’s providence, his plan was hidden behind the incident that led Joseph to be gone to Egypt, being sold to Midian merchants by his brothers. What was the dream that Joseph had? His dream is found in Genesis 37:5-9.

Hallelujah. This is the dream that Joseph had: There were 12 sheaves in the field when suddenly the sheaves that his brothers bound bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf. The second dream was that 11 stars, the Sun and the Moon bowed down to him.

Dear member, Joseph’s brothers were furious after hearing his dream. Think of themselves bowing down to his 11th brother Joseph sounded ridiculous and made the angry. This is why they decided to kill Joseph.

The important question we need to ask is this: why would Joseph have this kind of dreams? What kind of thoughts or minds he had on his daily lives? According to psychologist Freud’s theory of dream, it asserts that if a person has a obsession, into and concentrate on something so deeply, or wishes something so deeply, the thing could come up to his or her dreams. However, Joseph had no desire to be bowed by his brothers.

Then what is the dream about? This is the dream that shows the plan of God, what he will in the future through Joseph. As Joseph dreamed when he was a boy, he was in front of the scene that his brothers bowing down to him after he became the prime minister of Egypt. His brothers are the one who sold him to the Midian merchants. Joseph, who have become the prime minister of Egypt, could have taken his anger out on his brothers, recalling the past.

However, he did not. He realized that the dream he had when he was a boy was God’s plan. He knew that God was planning to save his family though him. Let’s read today’s bible verse Genesis 45:7-8 together.

Hallelujah.

Yes, it was God how sent Joseph to Egypt to work out his own salvation through Joseph. Although his brothers sold Joseph out of their anger and hatred, God turned that evil into good by sending Joseph to Egypt.

Dear members who have come to Korea. You have come here for your Korean dreams. Work hard. But remember: You are here, here in Korea, so that God can have you to stand before the gospel. You are here so that he, God, can save our family through you. I pray in the name of the Lord that you find great and precious illunination today.