Series: Types of Christ
Title: The Keeper of the Storehouse
Text: Genesis 41: 28-57
Date: September 11, 2014
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Pharaoh
had a dream. Joseph was brought before him to interpret the dream. God gave Joseph
the meaning. So Joseph told Pharaoh the meaning and what he should do.
Genesis 41: 28: This is the thing
which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth
unto Pharaoh. 29: Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all
the land of Egypt: 30: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;
and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine
shall consume the land; 31: And the plenty shall not be known in the land by
reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. 32: And
for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing
is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. 33: Now
therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the
land of Egypt. 34: Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers
over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven
plenteous years. 35 And let them gather
all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of
Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36: And that food shall be for
store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land
of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine. 37: And the thing was
good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. 38: And
Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is,
a man in whom the Spirit of God is? 39: And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch
as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as
thou art: 40: 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.
41: And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of
Egypt. 42: And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon
Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain
about his neck; 43: And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had;
and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all
the land of Egypt. 44: And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without
thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
In
Joseph we see a picture of Christ Jesus the GodMan who has the key to the
storehouse of grace.
CHRIST WITH ALL AUTHORITY
First,
we see a picture of Christ with all authority.
Pharaoh gave to Joseph all authority.
“And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of
Egypt….And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no
man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” (Gen 41: 44, 44) By Pharaoh’s
royal decree, he set Joseph over all things. Without Joseph, no man could lift
his hand or foot in the land of Egypt—that means Joseph had all sovereign power
over all Egypt.
According
to the eternal purpose and promise of God our Father, God has set his Son,
Christ Jesus, over all. Paul prayed, that our eyes might be enlightened to
know, “what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth
all in all.” (Eph 1: 19-23)
By
God’s royal covenant promise to his Son—our Mediator, our righteous Redeemer,
our Advocate with the Father, our Intercessor, our Head—has all power and all authority
over all creatures. I love to think on this. Christ Jesus is not only absolute
sovereign God, he is absolute sovereign Man!
“Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.” (Mt 28: 18) Christ Jesus, the GodMan, “doeth according to
his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan 4: 5) Without
Christ shall no man, no angel, good or evil, not even the devil himself, lift
up his hand or foot in all heaven and earth.
It is comforting to know this one who is absolutely sovereign has our names engraved on the palms of his
hands. (Is 49: 16) Christ promised his disciples what he promises us,
John 14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also.
John 12: 32: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me.
1 Peter 1: 3:…[believers are] begotten again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4: To an
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you, 5: Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Will
anybody stop Christ from doing these things toward his people? Will anyone or anything forbid Christ from giving
his people faith and keeping his people in faith so he can give us that
salvation which he made ready to be revealed?
No sir! Oh, what good news!
CHRIST THE ONLY FIT ONE
Secondly,
we see in type that Christ is the only fit one to hold the key to the
storehouse of God’s grace. Joseph was
the only fit person in all of Egypt to be over the storehouses. “And Pharaoh
said unto his servants, Can we find such
a one as this is, a man in whom
the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as
thou art:” (Gen 41: 38-39)
Could
God, our Father, find one as discreet and wise as his own Son? A man in whom the Spirit of God is? God the
Father chose his Son and entrusted the work of salvation into his hand because Christ
is Discretion and Wisdom. The Psalmist
said,
Psalm 112:5: A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he
will guide his affairs with discretion.
The new
heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness will be the creation
of Christ our Righteousness the same way Christ created the first heaven and
earth. How?
Jeremiah 10:12: He hath made the earth by his power, he
hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by
his discretion.
Here is
something else that shows us a type of why Christ is the only fit one. God
showed Joseph the famine before as yet it came. Likewise, in eternity, before
the foundation of the world, God showed Christ the famine of sin and depravity
his people would fall into. You know what our Savior did? Christ entered
covenant with God. Christ became our Surety knowing he would have to die that
shameful death to save his people from sin, death and hell. There was but one man in Egypt and there is
but one Man by whom “many shall be made righteous.” (Rom 5: 19) “For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:
5)
Furthermore,
we see a picture of why Christ is the only fit one in that not only did God
show Joseph what needed to be done, Joseph went and did it. Joseph “went throughout
all the land of Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth
by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in
the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field,
which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph gathered
corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was
without number.” (Gen 41: 46-49) Christ came into this earth and accomplished
the work God the Father gave him. He laid up grace for his people in abundance,
by the handfuls! “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 5: 20-21) How so? Christ died on
the cursed tree condemning sin for his people, that Christ might fill each of
his people with himself, filling us with his own perfect righteousness. “For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the
law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.” (Rom 8: 3-4)
Lastly, remember, Joseph did this for some folks who put
him in prison. But Christ laid down his life for all his people while as yet we
were all his enemies.
Romans
5: 7: For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a
good man some would even dare to die. 8: But God commendeth his love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9: Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10:
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life
So we see in type how that Christ is the only fit one to
over the storehouse of God’s grace.
WE MUST GO TO
CHRIST
Thirdly, we see in type that we must go to Christ if we
would be saved. “And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried
to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph;
what he saith to you, do.” (Gen 41: 55)
God has set Christ over all things pertaining to salvation
for his people. Christ is not only sovereign over providence, people and nature,
the GodMan is absolutely sovereign in salvation. Sinner, God says, “Go unto
Christ; what he saith to you, do.” What
does Christ say?
John 3: 35: The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all
things into his hand. 36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him.
John 17: 2:…thou hast given him power over all flesh, that
he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3: And this is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent.
Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Imagine
what the people in Egypt had to do when they saw they were famished: they had
to admit they could not feed themselves; they had to turn from trying to save
themselves and they had to come to Joseph who had the key to the storehouse. In spiritual terms, that is called repentance
and faith. God says, “Go to Christ. What he says to you, do.” Christ says,
“Except ye repent, ye shall all perish.” And he says, “Except ye eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.’ (Lu 13: 3, 5; Jn
6: 53)
We must
lose our life: repent from our good opinion of ourselves, our thoughts, our
ways and our works. They all end in death anyway. We must come to Christ who is
the Bread and who has the key to the storehouse of grace. Christ says,
John 12: 24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a
corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit. 25: He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he
that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26: If any
man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant
be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
Imagine
if someone in that famine refused to turn from his dried up garden and go to
Joseph. There would be no description
for them than hard-headed, hard-hearted, and stiff-necked. That is God’s description of us by nature. Sinner, flee to Christ. We see in throughout the scriptures that all
things pertaining to life, salvation, mercy, and heaven have been given into
the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. God says, “Go unto Christ; what he saith to
you, do.”
CHRIST SHALL OPEN THE STOREHOUSE
Lastly,
we see in type that Christ shall open the storehouse. “And the famine was over all the face of the
earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses,…” (Gen 41: 56) Joseph opened the storehouses at the fit
time: not during the time of plenty, not until the famine was over all Egypt, not
till those who came to him were famished and crying for bread had nowhere else
to turn.
Sinner,
do you see that you are famished? You need wisdom you do not have, righteousness
you do not have, holiness you do not have and redemption you do not have. It
was only when the people were famished that they cried. Likewise, it will only
be when you see the famine of your sin that you will you cry out to the Lord in
truth.
When
God gives his people spiritual life and draws us to cry out for mercy, Christ
will open the storehouse. He already has
in giving us life and drawing us. The
very purpose for which Christ suffered and bled and died was to save sinners. “For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom 10: 13) Our
Lord is plenteous in mercy, and delights to show mercy. But he does so at the
fit time: only when he has brought us down to see that we are sinners with no
other choices.
Luke 19: 10: For the Son of man is come to seek and to
save that which was lost.
Matthew 9:13…go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance.
1 Timothy 1: 15: This is a faithful saying, and worthy of
all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom
I am chief.
John 7: 37: In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. 38: He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water.
We get
thirsty and go to the water cooler. But this “thirst” is not that kind. This is
the “thirst of death”, “thirst for living waters.” When we come begging mercy then Christ opens
the storehouse—and he does so—freely. Notice Joseph “sold unto the Egyptians.”
(Gen 41: 56) But for every true sinner, Christ opens the storehouse freely. He says,
Isaiah 55: 1: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy
wine and milk without money and without price.
That is
the prerequisite to buy at Christ’s storehouse, we have to be bankrupt.
Isaiah 55: 2: Wherefore do ye spend money for that
which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?
Why are
you spending and laboring under the elements of the world, under the law, for spiritual
life, to try to satisfy God? Our works cannot obtain spiritual life or eternally
satisfy God! What is as opposite to spending and laboring? “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10: 10) Listen to Christ…
Isaiah 55: 2…hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that
which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3: Incline your
ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
We
eat by hearken to Christ’s gospel. We
come to Christ by inclining our ear. We
live by hearing Christ speak effectually for only Christ has the words of
eternal life. Only Christ can tell a
dead sinner to hearken and hear then give him spiritual life to do so!
But we
cannot work for life and satisfaction with God, “For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,… (Rom 5: 23-25) Christ
is that Bread which satisfies God and Christ satisfies his people when he has
given us faith to rest in him.
Do you
believe in Christ’s blood? Do you believe Christ, by his blood, has satisfied
God? Christ’s precious blood is the redemption price by which Christ is our
Redemption—by which he redeemed all his people from the curse of the law. His
precious blood paid the ransom in full. Christ’s precious blood bought his purchased
possession, his people. So for every true sinner who comes to Christ, with no
money and no price, the storehouse is open freely by Christ. All blessings of
grace were purchased just for them, for those God shall give life, faith and
draw to Christ.
Christ
is the Storehouse for all things that we need!
What do I need? I need wisdom, “Of God is Christ made unto us Wisdom”; I
need righteousness, “of God is Christ made unto us Righteousness”; I need
holiness, “of God is Christ made unto us sanctification”; I need redemption, “of
God is Christ made unto us redemption”; (1 Cor 1: 30); I need forgiveness of
sins, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins”; (Col 1: 14) “I need all, Lord!”—of God is Christ made unto us All! (Col
3: 11) After Joseph did all the work, do you reckon anyone that came to Joseph starving
for bread and were given bread then turned around and boasted in what they did?
Nope! If Christ is all to you, you know what you will do? “That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let
him glory in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1: 31)
Here is
more good news concerning Christ opening the storehouse. It does not matter where
you come from. “And all countries
came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore
in all lands.” (Gen 41: 57) Notice in
verse 45, “And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to
wife…” (Gen 41: 45) Some commentaries says that Joseph’s name means “Prince of life
of the world or Savior of the world.” That
is Christ’s name: Prince of life, (Acts 3: 15), Life of the world (Jn 5: 51);
Savior of the world (Jn 4: 420) Also, we see that Pharaoh gave Joseph a bride. God
the Father gave Christ a bride, “For we are members of his body, of his flesh,
and of his bones…This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the
church.” (Eph 5: 30, 32)
Yet, the
reason scripture calls Christ “the Savior of the world” is not because he came
to save all people in the world. It is because he came to save his bride
scattered in all parts of the world. So our
Lord Jesus gives the general call in the gospel to everyone, “And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that
is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
(Rev 22: 17) And whosoever comes will be taught by God our Father, that we did not
choose him, he chose us. (Jn 15: 16) God our Father blessed us with all spiritual
blessings, according as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the
world. (Eph 1: 3-4) He loved us with an everlasting love therefore in
lovingkindness he drew us to Christ. (Jer 31: 3) But those really thirsty, bow
to this good news, because we know if he did not choose us we would never have
chosen him. “And they [sing] a new song, saying, Thou art worthy…for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation.” (Rev 5: 9)
One
last thing—Joseph let no one starve. Likewise, Christ shall not lose one.
John 6:39: And this is the Father’s will which hath sent
me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise
it up again at the last day. 40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day….44: No man can come to me, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
There
is no coming to God but by Christ Jesus. “He is able to save to the uttermost all who
come to God by him.” (Heb 7:25).
Amen!