From the Pit to the Palace

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SUNDAY 16 MARCH 2025 - MR BRYAN CRUISE pm

GENESIS 41 VERSES 14 -16, 37 - 46

This is the miraculous story of deliverance - from the the pit to the palace. In our story I would like you to see 3 things - the prison, the provision and the position. 

Firstly, the prison. What do I mean when I say the prison? We see first and foremost in Genesis 41 verse 14 that Joseph was in a dungeon. Before our story tonight we find Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned by Potiphar's wife. Joseph found himself in the dungeon. Although he was innocent he was cast into prison. In a place of  despair, isolation and darkness. He was in a dark place. There are many in great darkness. They find themselves in spiritual darkness. Darkness in the bible is seen as a place of sin. An absence of light. When God's presence leaves us we are spiritually blind, without hope. From the time of Adam and Eve humanity was separated from God's blessing and presence. Psalm 82 verse 5 "They know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness all the foundations of the earth are out of course." Proverbs 4 verse 19 "The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble." Sin doesn't just stain your life but it blinds and enslaves you. Deuteronomy 28 verse 29 "And thou shalt grope at noonday as the blind gropeth in darkness and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore and no man shall save thee." It is the picture of an individual stumbling around in the dark. Is that where you are tonight? You are here tonight in spiritual darkness. Perhaps you don't realise your condition, that you are a sinner in darkness. Psalm 51 verse 5 "Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me." Romans 6 verse 23 "For the wages of sin is death." Wages is something earned or deserved. Because of your sin you earn or deserve to be punished. Some people don't understand that. They think they are not deserving of God's grace but actually deserving of God's punishment because of their sin. You cannot deny it. You are a sinner by nature and by practice. You see it every day when you switch on the news. We see mankind acting sinfully. Death is payment and it is threefold in your bible. There is more than 1 consequence of sin. First there is physical death. One day you will die despite all the medical advancement. In 2025 the death rate of mankind stands at 100%. Physical consequence. Spiritual death - you are spiritually dead. Eternal death without salvation. Separation becomes permanent in hell. God created mankind for a perfect existence with himself but because of sin we rebel against God. Your default destination is not heaven but hell. The most terrifying thing about hell I believe is its eternality. Hell goes on and on and on and on. Whenever you get there, there is no relief, no second chance. I don't want you to go there but if you do there is no relief. No second chance, no escape. Dante, a poet in the fourth century wrote a poem whose main character makes a journey through hell.  It was fictional of course. It represents that picture of hell. There is a chilling inscription above the entrance - "abandon all hope ye who enter here." A fictional story not to be taken literally but it is true. In hell you will have to abandon all hope because it will be too late if you have died and rejected God's offer. On that day it will be too late. In our story we have Joseph bound and helpless, confined to the prison. There was no chance to change his circumstances. He needed someone greater than himself to intervene for his deliverance and this image illustrates the image of the sinner. Sin is the prison. Those trapped cannot be rescued. You cannot make yourself righteous before God. You need someone to intervene. That is what happens in our story. The gospel is not about self improvement. It is about deliverance. A sinner cannot open the prison doors himself. Christ has already paid the ransom for you to be set free. John 8 verse 36. Christ has the power to set you free. If you are here tonight as a believer you are saved from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and one day you will be saved from the very presence of sin. But there is more - some day you will be saved from the propensity to commit sin. If you die in Christ you will be given a glorified body and you will be free from the propensity to commit sin. Will you be there because of your great deliverance by Jesus Christ, because of one who paid the price to free you from the presence of sin?

Secondly, the provision - verse 14. Pharaoh summoned Joseph from the prison. He didn't bargain his way out, he had to be sent for y someone greater than himself. Someone had to bring him freedom. He is summoned before the throne. He has to respond to the call of Pharaoh. If you are here and not saved God is extending to you a free offer of salvation. Maybe you are saying this cannot be about me. If that is you I am speaking especially to you. Will you come tonight and know forgiveness of sin? Accept his free offer of salvation? Joseph, before he could stand before Pharaoh he had to be changed. He shaved and changed his raiment then came into Pharaoh. Whenever it says that it is not a mere act of hygiene. No-one could approach the throne in filthy clothes, in an unkempt manner. Egyptians were known for cleanliness and strict grooming procedures. Joseph had to be made presentable. You cannot enter into the presence of God in a filthy, sinful condition. You have to be made righteous, not by our own efforts but by God's grace. Psalm 51 verse 2 "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." Before you can enter into the kingdom of heaven, into the presence of God you have to be cleansed. That is what happens to Joseph. He changed before he comes into Pharaoh's court. I don't want you to think that as a minor note, of no significance. Of course he shaved himself, he was in prison for a long time. He had to do it but actually it means more than that. You see Egyptian archaeological evidence proves that men shaved all their head, everything. If you were a high ranking individual in the court you had no hair at all. They wore artificial hair wigs. Joseph didn't just shave his beard but everything on his head had to be shaved off. Why? For Joseph to stand before the king he had to look like the king. He had to shave off the entire hair off his head.  Before you can stand before the king of kings you need to look like the king. The only way is to put your trust in Christ and then you are clothed in Christ's righteousness. Because of the work of Christ your character will become more Christlike. No longer bear the marks of the old sinful life. You are a new creation in Christ if you trust Christ for salvation. He couldn't enter into the court with the rags of a prisoner. He needed a change of clothes. You cannot enter into heaven clothed in your own righteousness but in Christ's. Sometimes we talk of justification. What is justification? We would say "just as if I had never sinned." But it is more than that. You have a record tonight, a slate. On that is the record of your sins. If that was just whitewashed, removed that would still not be enough. What you need on your record is righteousness. The slate is not just wiped clean. He takes his own righteousness and stamps it in his place. He doesn't just see a clean slate, he sees the righteousness of his son. When that day comes to stand before God and the books are open, he doesn't see white paper. He sees righteous deeds done by his son. That is the only way you can enter into heaven. You need to be clothed in Christ's righteousness. God gives us an image of this in the Old Testament - Zechariah 3 verses 1 to 4 "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." Joshua stood covered in filth, accused by Satan and God removes his unclean garments. He gives him robes of righteousness. They are pure and sinless. The sinfulness of your garments are taken off and you are given new garments in Christ. Think of the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. When the prodigal son returns home he is filthy.  He had sat and ate with pigs in muck. He gets up, comes to his senses and returns to his father. What does his father do? He puts a new robe on him. When you come to Christ you come filthy and are clothed in his righteousness when you put your trust in him. He has clothed us with the garments of salvation. Tonight you wear either one of 2 garments - the garments of self-righteousness that are never enough or the robes of Christ's righteousness. There is no middle ground. You either stand in Christ's perfection or in your own filthy garments. What are you clothed in tonight? Are you clothed in Christ's righteousness? What are you resting on to get into heaven? Joseph cannot stand in his condition. He had to look like the king. He had to have a new robe put on him.

Thirdly, the position. In our bible it tells us Pharaoh recognises Joseph's wisdom and exalted him to a position of honour.  Joseph rode in the second chariot, adorned with a gold chain. He was given that authority over all the land. I want you to notice though the new name that is given to him in verse 45 - Zaphnath-paaneah. It signified a new identity, a purpose, new relationship. Scholars are divided about the meaning of this new name. Either it means God speaks and he lives or a revealer of secrets. He was provided with a new name. He needed it to go along with his new position. His name was Hebrew. No-one would have listened to him with that name. Pharaoh wanted to remove any obstacles to prevent people not listening to him. His name signified status. He was no longer Hebrew but an Egyptian official. You are given a new name in Christ. You are not defined by past sins, failures, brokenness. You are reborn. Revelation 2 verse 17 "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." When you are born into the family of God you are given a new name. You are bought into twice fold. Brought into God's family because you are born again but also adopted into the family. Your assurance of salvation is two fold - once biological and secondly legalised. The Lord showed his biological descent through Mary but he was also a legal descendant through Joseph. What security you have. A position in Christ that can be yours tonight. Born into the family, adopted. Just where you are tonight. Once a prisoner of sin now free in Jesus. Once a stranger now saved and a child of God. A new name signifies transformation. We need a new name through our acceptance of Christ. Once imprisonment now given a new status, position, a new place in the kingdom. Will that be you tonight? Will you be counted amongst the redeemed? Counted in the Lamb's Book of Life? Will your name be written there when it is opened one day? Or will you remain in the prison of sin? Will you respond to God's call and be lifted out of the prison? Jesus stands ready to save you tonight. Call on him for the forgiveness of your sins. Jesus casts no-one out who comes to him.