Who Are You Really Going To Trust? Series

If you want to get to the other side, will you use this bridge (pic)?? Over 100 million people use this bridge every year!

The Bible says that if you want to go to the other side where God is, you must cross the bridge (diagram) made by Christ!

Does anyone know how many people die in the world every year?? About 65 million people die every year. Every year, over 100 million people cross the Golden Gate Bridge and about 65 million people in the world die. There are more people who trust the Golden Gate Bridge than people who die every year!! And of course, those who die, only a small percentage believe in Jesus Christ.

Why do people depend more on man and his creation rather than The Creator Himself? We’ll come back to this question later.

Let us first learn from our Creator God through His Words in Genesis Chapter 40. I’ve asked Peg Hamby to read for us this morning. As Peg comes forward, let us pray our commitment to God’s Word…..

Who are the people in this real life story preserved for us by God?? We have the Chief Cupbearer, the Chief Baker, the King of Egypt, the Captain of the Guard, and Joseph.

Let us briefly talk about the lives of these people. Did the

King of Egypt have to answer to any other person?? No! Everyone answered to Pharaoh and he had power to do whatever he wanted to people. But the king was responsible for his kingdom wasn’t he? This is why he placed the cupbearer and the baker in prison. Something happened that the king didn’t like for himself and his kingdom, so he put them in prison. The Pharaoh had a big responsibility and had power over people. This was the life of the King and he only depended on himself.

What was life for the Cupbearer and the Baker? The cupbearer provided and served the King his drinks. The Baker cooked and served the King his food. Both were sent to prison by the king. And when these 2 had dreams, who did they depend upon? We read in verse 8, they both said, no one can interpret our dreams. The cupbearer and the baker depended only on the king and other people.

What was the life of the Captain of the Guard of the prison? The Captain of the Guard controlled the men in prison. But what did the Captain of the Guard do? The Captain of the Guard gave his responsibilities to Joseph! The Warden depended on Joseph.

And so, Joseph became the acting Captain of the Guard.

But what else can we say about Joseph in relation to other people in verses 6-7??

Joseph was compassionate with people! Joseph knew he had responsibilities in life but he also knew to care for people! And Joseph knew that the cupbearer and the baker weren’t getting any answers because they were depending on people instead of God! Joseph states in verse 8, "Do not interpretations belong to God?” Joseph guided the cupbearer and the baker to depend on God and he interpreted their dreams in dependence on God!

But there’s a question: Did Joseph do everything right??

Look again at the end of Genesis 40 and at the beginning of Genesis 41. Joseph was forgotten for 2 years! God doesn’t tell us what happened to Joseph for 2 years in prison, but he was in prison for a while!! Look briefly with me at Genesis 41:9-14……….

I wonder if Joseph finally prayed to God after 2 years of being in prison? Why would God comment on Joseph not shaving and taking care of his clothes? I wonder if Joseph was depressed for 2 years?

Look back to Genesis 40:14…………….

Joseph certainly wanted to get out of prison, but he made the mistake of depending on a man to get him out and he ended up waiting for over 2 years!

And so, what is the main point to learn today from God’s Word? We are to relate to people but we must remember to always depend on God with everything!

First and foremost (show cross diagram again), all of us must depend on God’s grace for salvation from our sins which leads to eternal separation from God. Trust and belief in Jesus Christ is the only way back to God and the assurance of eternal life in heaven. Have you trusted Jesus Christ and have the assurance of heaven when you die or are you still trusting your own efforts or salvation from someone else? Trust God through Jesus Christ today if you have never done so. Just pray to Jesus and say, “Lord Jesus, I believe you are God who died for my sins. I believe you are God who rose from the dead. I will trust you for the rest of my life and for eternal life. Live in my heart. Amen.”