Introduction
In the hope that we may all begin to see the strength of God’s word to us through the restoration of Joseph, lets look again at the points I have made so far.
I am sure that you know that God is not using this series as some kind of academic exercise or form of entertainment, but rather declaring that we are as Joseph, a restored people. Not just freed from the captivity we knew, but far more- raised up set in honour in God’s sight and part of His wonderful plan to redeem all mankind, for us at LWCC that means
1.How do we then make this connection from Joseph to us.
Through the wonderful thread of God’s Word to us.
Just listen first to the Word and then we will explore it together. We will need to demonstrate the thread of the word visually to help us all
Lets start at the very beginning- It’s a very good place to start!
Gen 2:25
The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Gen 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves
Esther 6:6
When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”
Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?”
So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor,
have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head.
Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’
Esther 8
The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai
Dan 5:7
“Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
Dan 5:29
Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
Luke 15:20
So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:22
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Matt 27:28
They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
Rev 3:5
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 7:9
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes
Into this thread of God’s word let’s now weave our story of Joseph –first as expressed in Gen 37.
Gen 37
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him”
And now our verse for today
Gen 41:42
“He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.”
2. The First Robe
This first robe, the richly ornamented coat is so famous isn’t it; even before the technicolour dreamcoat came along- it played a huge part in popular culture it’s a story like Noah’s ark that all the children know.
But in the long tradition of robes granted as gifts in God’s word, this gift from Jacob is unique-
It is in the eyes of God and the eyes of those around him-
undeserved an unwarranted 'kick in the teeth' to an otherwise loyal and hardworking bunch of sons.
The robe was undeserved because Joseph had done nothing to qualify for it.
And therefore it was resented a daily reminder of injustice and played its part in the story eating into the hearts of previously loyal sons.
The robe was taken from Joseph and He was in a pit and sold- as good as dead. The robe was dipped in blood from a goat a sacrifice.
Jacob as head of the family wore a robe showing his status. He was named Israel by God. What was his response when he saw the robe with the blood dipped?
Yes, he tore His robe.
This was something done by all in authority when they wished to express grief. I have heard it said but have not been able to confirm that the priests of Israel had sections upon them sewn on loosely especially to be torn.
I was reminded that as Jesus became sin for us and died, the veil of the temple (the ‘robe’ of the holy of holies) was torn from top to bottom- a symbol perhaps of God’s response to the death.
What a poignant and wonderful picture of the death and shed blood of Jesus.
2. The second Robe
Lets go now to the second robe Gen 41 v42
Gen 41:42
“He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.”
The restored Joseph, the saviour of Egypt, having been given his position as second only to Pharaoh
Having been given the practical tool of authority in the ring is now given
A second robe
A new robe- this time of finest linen.-
I have discovered that such robes would have been truly amazing not necessarily in appearance but in comfort- linen as finely woven as silk..
The Egyptians perfected the weaving of linen to a very high level indeed
(and still do)
Along with the gold chain, Joseph is now instantly recognisable by the authority He now carried.
God had achieved by his Holy Spirit a changed life
Again lets be clear here too. By giving Joseph the ring the robe and the chain and as we will see the Egyptian name, pharaoh was bringing him into his own family, adopting him.
This also made it legal for Joseph to hold the position He had.
There is no evidence that this new appointment was resented or plotted against. It was seen as the legitimate use of authority by Pharaoh towards a man who clearly deserved the position.
3. But what does the robe say to us?
We saw that before the fall man was naked and not ashamed, His relationship with God was such that he was not aware of his own status or that of his wife.- His was the perfect relationship without veils without barriers, without status- without robes.
After the fall and with the establishing of Law, God provides His people with tools to help them relate to each other along with leadership and status, all of which was given the extra visual clues of robes.
Robes for priesthood, kingship and status. Throughout the History of Israel and indeed our history
We saw with Esther’s approach to the King she robed herself in her royal robe and that her uncle was robed to show his new found status, Daniel was robed in purple an given a chain of office.
When Jesus wanted to bring a by now cultural symbol of status- the Armani suit, in his picture of the prodigals return- go get the best robe.- the point was clear the heart of a man is what God looks at. It was the prodigals repentance.
At the crucifixion The image was forever destroyed as the King of Kings was stripped of all status and authority reduced to the wearing of a kings robe and a crown of thorns as a joke.
So the robe is a sign of our status in Christ as priests kings and adopted sons and daughters.
It is also a symbol of how generous God is to us and how concerned to give us the best of everything.
This is stuff for every day of our lives. I need to let this word seep into my soul soak in and change me.
Ever since Adam walked in the garden unashamed in his relationship with God- naked exposed before him, God has been looking for a people who’s lives reflected that same openness, that same nakedness before Him.
The world in it’s topsy turvey way will often still acknowledge those qualities by robing those people –giving them status.
God robes His people symbolically as we see in Revelation with white robes.
He calls us in 2 Peter:
"A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
For Joseph, knowing after all the pain and anguish of captivity, that he was now accepted loved honoured, by pharaoh, by the people but most of all by God must have made comparison of the two robes even more stark.
He must have looked back at all the status that he had in his family at its foolishness and pride and thanked God for His grace.
He looked at what God values and found all the shallow prestige that Jacob tried to give to him as rubbish
Paul puts it so well that I have to go back yet again to that passage in
Phillipians 3:
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
(Author: Tim Blake)Alan Scotland
Alan brings a powerful encouragement to us from the life of Moses
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Standing Firm in Your Faith
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Shining a torch on 2011
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Shining a light on 2012
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The King is coming!
Tim Blake prepares the Church for the King's coming! (Author: Tim Blake)
Awareness Sunday
Keith brings the message of tolerance and peace right to our font door as we remember the tragedy of 9/11 and learn the lessons from it. (Author: Keith Brockbank)
Our Identity in Christ
Adrian Clarke brings a challenging and thought provoking word to us on the nature and implications of our identity in Christ. (Author: Adrian Clarke)
Something to Ponder while you Eat your easter egg...
Do we take the Easter story for granted? Dave encourages us to spend time considering our response to Jesus' single-mindedness entering Jerusalem. (Author: Dave Donoghue)
A sneak Peak through the open door
Keith's purpose was to encourage and mobilise us to move forward on the next phase of our journey together.
(Author: Keith Brockbank)
Go make disciples- but no pressure!
SamDonoghue brings refreshing new insight to a familiar passage.
Don't be fooled by what you have heard before, Matthew 28 demonstrates Jesus' heart to communicate Love and Grace even within what is so often called the 'Great Commission'
(Author: Sam Donoghue)
The Big Picture
Peter brings to us a vision of the heavenly, eternal, universal Church that is God's chosen way of administering his kingdom in this world. (Author: Peter Douglas)
Watch and Pray
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(Author: Brian Foster)
Don't wear Saul's Armour
William's uncompromising and challenging message will leave you keen to know more about this Jesus who saves and heals
(Author: William Lee)
Discipleship
A look at discipleship, what it means, who it's for and how it can be applied to our lives together. (Author: Brian Foster)
A Community that grows
Peter amazed us by taking us back and bringing new insight to the passage God had shown us in Genesis 26 concerning unblocking the wells in our lives. (Author: Peter Kaunda)
A Community Resourced to Grow
Brian encourages us to dig deep in seeing the provision for all God has for us (Author: Brian Foster)
A Community that Loves
Christine Foster looks and the foundational role that Love plays in the Comuunity of God's people (Author: Christine Foster)
An Empowered community
In this the second of five sessions on the future priorities of the Church, Tim calls on God to reveal to us what it means to be a community empowered by his Holy Spirit. To be the aroma of Christ and a living letter communicationg the Gospel to all. (Author: Tim Blake)
The Journey
Keith Brockbank continues our look again at the direction God has given to the Church. (Author: Keith Brockbank)
Corporate Worship
Sue encourages us to reach for a deeper life of corporate worship. (Author: Sue Blake)
Hope 3
Keith continues on his mission
OPERATION HOPE
Drawing us to regain, and ground ourselves in, the truth of the Hope we have. (Author: Keith Brockbank)
Fruitfulness- Can God Furnish a Table in the wilderness?
Dave brings a message of fruitfulness to the Church Challenging us to have faith in our God who is able (Author: Dave Latham)
Hope
These notes draw together the material Keith will have shared over three sessions including at our Church weekend at Oak Hall (Author: Keith Brockbank)
The Treasure within
Tim Calls us to look at the treasure God has placed in each one of us (Author: Tim Blake)
Is Anyone Thirsty?
The harvest of souls needs water and the water comes from within us. Jesus stood up at the Feast of the Harvest and promised the Holy Spirit would flow from our very being (Author: Tim Blake)
The Gospel: Faith
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The Gospel 4: A Power to believe in
June Silber reminds us of the influence we have and Don takes us to Pauls letter to the Romans to focus our examination of the Gospel on the power of God for Salvation. (Author: Don and June Silber)
Getting Closer to God
Brian challenges both our conscience as Christians and the prevailing secular fundamentalism. with a rallying call to return to the clarity of God's Word (Author: Brian Foster)
What are we aiming for?
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God is Mindful of us.
What this Psalm shows us is that God Almighty chooses YES chooses to connect His glory to the success or otherwise of the redemption of mankind. (Author: Tim Blake)
Offer your body as a Living Sacrifice
Helen Watts speaks to us clearly about the need to turn our spiritual understanding into practical sacrificial love.
(Author: Helen Watts)
New Wine Skins
Sue challenges us to look at our attitudes and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit (Author: Sue Blake)
Getting it Right with God
David shows us that we can still learn a lot from the sermon on the mount. (Author: David Donoghue)
The Good Soil
Sue developed the theme of this Parable concentrating on the Good soil rather than the inadequate soil (Author: Sue Blake)
Colossians 3
Sam Donoghue speaks to us about the reality of the challenges we face in our walk with God. He shows how the apostle Paul was no less challenged and wrote the Christians in Colossae with clear guidance. (Author: Sam Donoghue)
The Grace of God
Dave Evans from Kings Community Church Basildon, provokes us to remember that the all powerful grace of God is poured on us, to encourage us into a godly life. (Author: Dave Evans)
Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control Pts 1 and 2
Sue Blake takes a radical approach focusing on our need to understand our old self is truly dead in order to know true self control. (Author: Sue Blake)
Telling the tales of God
Testimony has a Kingdom purpose. It impacts our own faith and that of others. It strengthens the weary and the strong as well as challenging the lies of our age. (Author: Tim Blake)
The Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
Ben looks at the amazing quality of Gentleness as demonstrated by Jesus and hopefully in us as we see the 'harvest' of the Spirit in us (Author: Ben Benest)
The Fruit of the spirit: Kindness
Against the backdrop of early Church controversy David paints an up to date and relavent picture of a life walking in the Spirit. (Author: David Donoghue)
The Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
Sue Blake continues our series on the fruit of the Holy Spirit looking at goodness, defining goodness as moral actions that spring from a life filled with God's Holy spirit.
(Author: Sue Blake)
The Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
Keith Brockbank shares the amazing connection between all the fruit of the Spirit. His clear and helpful message encourages us to allow the Holy Spirit to continue that work of Grace within us that will lead us to be the people God calls us to be.
(Author: Keith Brockbank)
The Purpose of temptation
Steve Watts challenges us to look at how God can bring maturity and strength as we stand up to the temptation in our lives and that we can see areas of potential growth in those areas that Satan attcks us with most. (Author: Steve Watts)
Five Smooth Stones
Brian brings us timely wisdom from life of David (Author: Brian Foster)
The Fruit of the Spirit- Peace
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The Fruit of The Spirit- Joy
Pete and Pat share from the word and from their life on the sustaining Joy of God (Author: Pete and Pat Garratt)
A New Season
An encouragement for the Church as the eldership is enlarged. (Author: Alan Scotland)
The Fruit of the Spirit- Love
Christine Foster begins our series on the fruit of the spirit from Galations 5, looking at Love. Christine looks at the life of Jesus as our model for love (Author: Christine Foster)
Daniel Man of God
Sue Blake reminds us of the character of the prophet Daniel a man of prayer and the word. A man prepared to stand for what he believed. (Author: Sue Blake)
For the Joy Set Before Him...
We are so tempted to believe the lie of rejection and isolation. When we look at the death of Jesus, we see someone who faced it all for us. (Author: Tim Blake)
Relational Influence
The Word of God is a mirror into which we can look and see the image that God has of us and of the world.
Hudson Luwi, of Fountain of Life Church in Lusaka. Visited Living Word Community Church and spoke to us about how God reveals Himself to us (Author: Hudson Luwi)
The Pencil
Barbara talks about how a vision of our Church as a pencil can lead us to a new focus in God (Author: Barbara Brockbank)
Receiving an empowering vision
This is the second part of Keith Brockbanks encouragement for us to live with an empowering vision. (Author: Keith Brockbank)
Empowering Vision
Keith Brockbank shares the amazing power and authority that God enables us to move in when we pursue His vision for the Kingdom. (Author: Keith Brockbank)
Clash of kingdoms
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A Spade is a Spade
We continue our look at Mark's Gospel by looking at a bad week for the disciples (Author: Tim Blake)
Who am I?
The seriees on Mark's Gospel continues with a look at Mark Chapter 8 and Peter's confession of Christ. (Author: Tim Blake)
A ministry of power and authority
The next part of the series on Mark's gospel moves to examine the power ministry of Jesus Christ. (Author: Tim Blake)
Personal Effectivenessa way to personal revival
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People God Uses- Jonah
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Out Of The Wilderness (Part 2)
This examination of the testing of Jesus provokes us to look at the testing in our own lives with new perspective. (Author: Sue Blake)
Out of the wilderness part 1
The first of five studies in Mark's Gospel. The message we carry is the same as John the Baptist- A voice crying in the wilderness. (Author: Tim Blake)
God's Word Living and Active
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Getting our Bearings
Finding our way in an increasingly hostile secular nation needs us to go back to the word to get our bearings (Author: Tim Blake)
Making a Breakthrough
David Donoghue brings a provocative short word followed by Brian Foster with a word on breakthrough. (Author: Brian Foster)
The Romans Series
The teaching to date on Paul's Letter to the Romans (Ch's 1-5) (Author: Tim Blake)
Peace with God
The wonderful promises that result from being justified by Jesus. (Author: Tim Blake)
Romans Chapter 1:20 - No Excuses
Life without Jesus can be like a doughnut- a God shaped hole we stuff with every possible rottenness to supress the truth of God. (Author: Tim Blake)
That's What Friends are For.
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“Be strong and courageous…the Lord Himself goes before you'
Strength and courage Weakness and fear run like parallel tracks through my life.
Yet my God says Be strong and courageous. (Author: Christina Wood)
The Fellowship of the holy Spirit
I so want to see the constant working of the Holy Spirit in my life. (Author: Tim Blake)
a Heart to Give
Look again at how you give and see if you have a heart to excel in the grace of giving. (2 Cor 8) (Author: Tim Blake)
Spritual Warfare
The topic of spritual warfare can be a mine field. So I avoid the mines by staying in the safe zone of the word of God (Author: Tim Blake)
What do you See?
A look at how we bring the vision to bear on our lives (Author: Tim Blake)
FRUITFULNESS
A look at God's plan to bless us abundantly (Author: Brian Foster)
Make Way 4 - "Make Way"
The final look at the story of Joseph looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and our need to allow Him to have complete authority. (Author: Tim Blake)
Make way Part 2
God is impressing His character into us as a seal into soft clay and in turn we see His kingdom grow as we press God's Character into the world around us (Author: Tim Blake)
Make Way - Joseph Restored
The first in a series on the restoration of Jopeph, that teaches us to be confident that God speaks and is building His Kingdom using us as we co-operate with Him. (Author: Tim Blake)
Vision and Values
An examination of the Vision and values of LWCC (Author: Tim Blake)
Faith Series January 2004
Tim took us through a study in Hebrews on the principles of faith. (Author: Tim Blake)