Speaking the Truth in Love
Joseph and The Christ
Introduction: As Christians we know that Jesus is our ultimate example of perfection. There are also many individuals in the scriptures that we can look to as examples of righteousness, and thus did many things in ways similar to Jesus. We are beginning a series of programs that compares some of these individuals to Jesus. Some of these people were similar because their lives emulated His life; others were similar because events that happened in their lives corresponded with events in His life. In all of these cases we can see the consistency of the Scriptures and of God's expectations for His followers. For this study we will began by comparing the life of Joseph to Jesus, The Christ.
- Born through divine intervention.
- Joseph through Rachel's barren womb which was opened by God Gen 30:22-24.
- Jesus through the virgin birth Matt. 1:18-25
- Pleased their fathers
- Joseph in Gen. 37:1-3 and Jesus in Matt. 3:16-17
- Foretold of their future power
- Joseph in Gen. 37:7-12 and Jesus in Matt. 26:63-64, Luke 2:19, 51
- Disliked by their brothers
- Joseph in Gen. 37:4 and Jesus in John 1:11,7:1-5
- Tempted yet endured
- Joseph in Gen 39:7-12 and Jesus in Heb 2:18, 4:15
- Both conspired against
- Joseph by his brothers in Gen. 37:18 and Jesus by the Pharisees in Matt 12:14
- Both betrayed by those close to them
- Joseph by his brothers in Gen. 37:20-28 and Jesus by Judas in Matt. 26:48-49
- Sold for a price
- Joseph in Gen. 37:27-28 and Jesus in Matt 26:14-15
- Stripped of their clothing
- Joseph in Gen. 37:23 and Jesus in Matt 27:27-28
- Punished though innocent
- Joseph in Gen. 39:19 and Jesus in John 19:4-15
- Won respect of jailer and centurion
- Joseph in Gen. 39:21-23 and Jesus in Luke 23:44-47
- Both were thought to be dead, yet appeared to many
- Joseph in Gen. 44:20 and Jesus in John 20:19-26
- Both humbled and yet exalted
- Joseph in Gen. 41:38-43 and Jesus in Phil 2:6-11
- Both provided bread no one else could offer
- Joseph in Gen. 41:53-57 and Jesus in John 6:32-35
- Finished their earthly lives well
- Joseph in Gen. 50:19-25 and Jesus in 1Cor 15:6, Acts 1:1-9: In Genesis 50:19-21, Joseph exhibits characteristics of Jesus in his forgiving nature, his realizing that the evil they meant was for good, and the provisions he provided his people. In this case he preserved his family but also preserved the lineage (tribe of Judah) of Jesus, The Christ.
Closing: If you have not submitted to The Christ please think about some closing thoughts. Jesus was the only one who perfectly followed God’s will. He was the only one who is God and decided to come to earth to become the Savior of the World because He loves you! He paid the price for your sins by dying on a cross almost 2,000 years ago. And He has been reigning at the right hand of God the Father ever since. Why not become one of His followers, a Christian? Believe Him, confess that He is the Son of God, repent of your sins, and be baptized to wash them all away in His blood. Isn’t that what Joseph would do? Submit to God’s commands? We need to be like Joseph, but more importantly we need to become followers of The Christ! We hope to see you on Monday, October 7, on “Speaking The Truth In Love”!
