Ep 64: The Rise from the Dungeon to the Seat of Power - Joseph's Faith-Fueled Journey to Egyptian Authority

"How does Joseph's story resonate in our lives today? Let’s embark on a journey delving into his ascent from the dungeon to the seat of power, revealing timeless lessons on faith, providence, and resilience."

Embark on a scriptural odyssey with Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Kenney Jr., as he unveils the timeless lessons enshrined in Joseph's ascent from the depths of a dungeon to the pinnacles of Egyptian authority. Through faith and providence, our latest conversation uncovers how the echoes of Genesis 40 and 41 resonate throughout our lives today. The insights challenge the notion that we must perfect ourselves before approaching God, instead inviting us to come as we are, imperfections included. Discover how Joseph's unwavering faith and humility before God set the stage for his dramatic rise and the fulfillment of prophetic dreams, telling a story of resilience that continues to inspire.

In this compelling episode, we traverse the journey from Joseph interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker to his extraordinary interpretation of Pharaoh's own perplexing visions. We connect these ancient narratives with Jesus's prophecies, shedding light on the unshakeable veracity of God's Word. As we explore Joseph's steadfastness amidst trials and his elevation to a position of influence, we are reminded of the power of divine timing and God's sovereignty in our lives. This episode isn't just a historical recount; it's an invitation to recognize the swift changes of fortune within God's providential plan and to maintain a heart of praise through our own adversities.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Lord, you know, you listen on the place of word.

Speaker 2: 0:02

The radio is the best. Jesus is the only king that you can approach. The way you are, with all your baggage and everything wrong, see, the enemy will be right there, trying to get yourself right. Get yourself together first, get yourself fixed up, then you come to God. You can't go to God the way you are right now. No, you're a sinner. You can't. No, I'm not. No, no, no, no. You need to try to get yourself fixed up first. Jesus wants you to come to Him as you are.

Speaker 1: 0:59

Hello and welcome to plays on word radio, where we discuss, analyze, work and play on the word of God. Thank you for joining us on this excursion. Today let's join Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Kenny Jr, the founder of plays on word theater, as he does a deep dive into the word of God. Amen, diving in.

Speaker 2: 1:21

Amen, amen, amen. Thank you very much and welcome to plays on word radio. All of you out there in radio land listening. Thank you very much, josh Taylor and Katie Kenny, for that anointed intro. My name is Fred David Kenny Jr and we are on an excursion through the scripture. We started out in Genesis 37. We're following the path of Genesis Joe, one of the plays that plays on word presents. We are making our way through the scriptures that are the foundation of the play and those of you that have seen the play, this is drilling down deeper than we could in the play event. We're able to get down to the granular level here. So we're going to continue. If you have your Bibles with you, we're going to continue. Last time we were in Genesis 40. And we are going to continue in Genesis 41, starting with verse one.

Speaker 2: 2:26

Actually, let me give you a little background, those of you that might not have heard the other episodes. Joseph was a young man and he was sold by his brothers to a man in Potiphar in Egypt who worked directly for Pharaoh. And Potiphar's wife came on to Joseph, set him up. He was an innocent man. She claimed he tried to sleep with her, had him thrown in prison. The prison happens to be in Potiphar's house or underneath his house and there were two people that worked directly for Pharaoh One was the cup bearer and the other was the baker and they after some time after Joseph being in jail for a while, after some time were brought into the prison. And Joseph had been exalted in both instances. He was when he first became a slave in Egypt. He would. After a while he was exalted to the manager of the whole estate and after some time in prison he's exalted to the guy running the prison. In prison he's a prisoner but yet he is running the prison. And these two guys come in, the cup bearer and the baker, and they both have dreams. And Joseph interprets the dreams for him and he tells the cup bearer says when this is, when this, when you're restored to the service of Pharaoh, man, can you please speak to him, get me out of here? And he was restored. But the cup bearer forgot about Joseph and that's where we left off, really bummed out low point.

Speaker 2: 4:11

Justice 41, verse one. When two full years had passed, pharaoh had a dream. This is 730 long days, two full years, 730 days. Man, pharaoh's dream. He was standing by the Nile. This is Genesis 41. He was standing by the Nile verse two when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank and the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up verse five. Then he fell asleep again and he had a second dream. Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk and after them seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the East wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy heads, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up. It had been a dream Verse eight in the morning, when his mind was troubled.

Speaker 2: 5:37

In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the Magician. Let me just cut off for a second. I need a new prescription for my glasses. So that's one of the reasons why I'm mushing and mashing up these words, because half of them look like hieroglyphics. Half of it I'm coming off the top of my head and then the other half wait. That's bad math. You guys get to point.

Speaker 2: 6:02

Verse 8, the morning his mind was troubled. So he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them. And in the play this is a humorous point because it's Joseph, as he's telling the story he says and Pharaoh called everybody. He called the wise men, he called the magicians, he called the astrologers, he called Dr Phil. He called everybody he could. And usually people start laughing. They're like wait, wait, what what, dr Phil? Actually, when we first started doing Genesis Joe, the original Genesis Joe said, he said and only some of you are going to get this the original Genesis Joe said Pharaoh called everybody. He called the wise men, he called the magicians, he called the astrologers, he called Dion Warwick and the psychic friends network. Now, some of you non-millennials are laughing right now because that was every other commercial in the 90s Dion Warwick and the psychic friends network. And then what was it? Then? Miss Cleo, remember Miss Cleo? Call me now. Oh, my goodness. Well, these are the people that Pharaoh called.

Speaker 2: 7:28

That's the point, that's what I'm, that's the irony I'm trying to point out that he called it's the wisdom of the world. And, take note, only God's man could explain this God-given message. And the experts today still fail to interpret God's message. Let me say it again only God's man could explain this God-given message. Listen to what Paul says.

Speaker 2: 8:03

He says for the in Corinthians, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God, in the Greek, the dunamis of God, for it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate. Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, god was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those whom God has called, both Jew and Greeks, christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, for the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength, if you drop the mic. Point being, the world cannot interpret the things of God properly because it considers the things of God as foolishness. The wisest people in the world are not going to get it if they don't receive God through the Spirit, through receiving Christ. These things are spiritually discerned people. Those of you saying amen know what I'm talking about.

Speaker 2: 10:16

Let's get back to our texts. In Genesis I mean the point being that Pharaoh, he called here's the most powerful guy in the land, called everybody that he could. No one could interpret this for him properly. And this is when the cup bearer remembers Joe, verse 9,. He says to the chief cup bearer said to Pharaoh. He says directly to Pharaoh today, I'm reminded of my shortcomings. My wife Katie, she loves that verse. It just seems odd. You don't hear people usually saying that today, like when I make a mistake or if I forget to take the trash out or to put the toilet seat down. I'm going to try to remember. Today I'm reminded of my shortcomings. I'll let you know how that goes. The chief cup bearer said to Pharaoh I'm reminded of my shortcomings. Now, this was last time. We said this was the right time. Okay, this, at this time, is the time for Joseph to be exalted.

Speaker 2: 11:30

If the cup bearer rewind two years and right after he's. You know he gets out of jail if he goes up to Pharaoh and tells him oh, there's this young Hebrew guy. He said what was gonna happen and it happened. Pharaoh might have just dismissed it because Pharaoh didn't need Joe. But now, two years later, when he's had these disturbing dreams and he knows who, there is a meaning to these dreams and no one can tell him. Now he needs Joe.

Speaker 2: 12:06

This is the right time and the Lord was with Joe throughout his difficulty leading up to his exaltation here. The Lord did not leave him alone and he has not left you alone if you are in the midst of a wilderness difficult period. I mean the cup bearer. He might have been able to get Joseph out with tact and by pulling, because I mean the cup bearer is way more than to do that just sips the drink. The cup bearer, like we said last time, the cup bearer is in charge of basically the estate and you know, running the show. He's the chief butler he's like, and in many ways he could be comparable to the chief of staff to the king. There's not too many people that the king trusts more than the cup bearer. But he might have been able to pull some strings and get Joseph out. You know because of his pull, but it would not have been in the way that God wanted Joe to be lifted up.

Speaker 2: 13:12

And Joe, if the cup bearer did get him out, there was no reason for Pharaoh to place him in charge of all the land at that time. So we have to. We must submit to God's sovereignty, even over our difficulties, and offer a praise, in spite of what we might be going through or feeling or thinking. Let us be people that praise him, because he is God still worthy of praise, no matter what is happening to us, and we have faith that he means good for us and he has a future and a hope for us. And yet we suffer at times. We have a blessed hope that this is temporary and the suffering is temporary, and when he restores all things, we will stand with our heads high saying yes. Though he slay me, I still trust and believe and put my faith in him. Like Job said, verse 10, pharaoh was once. This is the cup bearer still speaking to Pharaoh.

Speaker 2: 14:28

Pharaoh was once angry with his servants and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meeting of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. Notice he doesn't call him Potiphar, he calls him the captain of the guard. This is official, that is his official role. And notice, this Joe is still. He still considered property of Potiphar, the captain of the guard. He's put in prison but he's still owned by Potiphar. Potiphar bought him.

Speaker 2: 15:05

Just a little observation there, continuing with the cup bearer. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream, and things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us. I was restored to my position and the other man was impaled. Some of your translations might say the other man was hanged. Now, this is fascinating. Just looking at we know that Joe and Jesus. Joe was a type of Christ in many ways. You don't wanna go too far, but just let the scriptures show and highlight it.

Speaker 2: 15:44

The man of God Joseph translated words of prophecy from God to the two prisoners, to the men, and the fact that it happened confirms him. Later on we're going to see the man of God Joseph translated words of prophecy from God to Pharaoh and we will see it come to pass. When he talks about the seven years of prosperity and then the seven years of famine, and when it comes to pass, joseph is further confirmed. So that's the man of God and the man of God. How about this? The God-man Jesus spoke words of prophecy about himself, and the fact that it happened confirms him. I will destroy this tendon in three days. I will raise it up. No other son will be given this generation, but the sign of Jonah, he said on the third day, I will be raised to life again. He said these things. The God-man spoke these words of prophecy about himself, and the fact that it happened confirms him. Now check this out.

Speaker 2: 17:29

The God-man Jesus spoke words of prophecy about what is going to happen, just like Joseph spoke words to Pharaoh about what was going to happen, and it did. That should give us great hope. We should be amped up. All you believers that have put your faith in Christ Jesus know this for a fact. Everything he said has come true, except for the things that are coming. Yeah, I'm hearing some amens. That's what I'm talking about, verse 14,.

Speaker 2: 18:10

So, pharaoh, check this out. He said for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon when he had shaved and changed his clothes. He came before Pharaoh in haste and this is a kind of a funny scene too. When he's cleaned up he makes a note. He says they brought me up out of here and they brought me up and they cleaned me up, gave me some new clothes and they cleaned me up. And then he puts his makes a how do I do this over radio man? This is difficult. He uses his hands to make it seem like his beard is like three feet long, down to his waist, down to his belt line, and he looks at the looks at the crowd. He says my beard was down to here. I look like that guy, phil Robertson from the Duck Dynasty. Yeah, yeah, those of you who haven't seen the play, you're thinking. This guy's absolutely out of his mind, he's insane. And if you have seen the play, can I get an Amen? It's one of the funniest lines in the play, using contemporary humor to point out that these are real people.

Speaker 2: 19:26

So Farrow said to Joseph I had a dream and no one can interpret it, but I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. Verse 16,. Joseph said I cannot do it. Joseph replied to Farrow, but God will give Farrow the answer he desires. Notice that Joe still gives credit to God for the interpretation of dreams. He didn't start thinking he was something special because what he said came true. He recognizes where it came from and in this scene do you think, just follow me on this the Cupbearer Farrow's trying to get to the bottom of the dream. He's got all the highest paid people around telling them this, telling them that, and Farrow's like no, that's not it, that ain't right, that ain't right.

Speaker 2: 20:21

Then the Cupbearer remembers now I'm reminded of my shortcomings. Farrow, two years ago you were upset with me and the chief baker Right and he tells Farrow the whole story and Farrow calls for Joseph and they bring him up and shave his beard and clean him up. Do you think when they brought Joe in to that courtroom that the Cupbearer gave him a head nod? You know they locked eyes and I could just see the Cupbearer even better late than never gave Joe a head nod. Now of course that doesn't say that in scripture. So please don't email me any hate email or mean email Saying on my heretic. The other thing to notice is you do not enter the presence of a king the way you are. No king then or today will have an audience with a prisoner in smelly, stinking prison robes. Joe had to be made presentable for the king. Jesus is the only king who takes you the way you are and then begins to clean you himself. We will all stand before him.

Speaker 2: 21:37

In the Greek, all means all, and there is a big difference for the believer standing before the Bema seat of Christ and the unbeliever standing before the white throne. Judgment of God. The Christians gonna have to give an account for what they did in the flesh, in the body. The unbeliever oh, let me back up. But the Christians gonna give an account for what they did with the gifts that they were given, the talents, the treasure. Here, lord, you gave me 10 denarii.

Speaker 1: 22:18

And.

Speaker 2: 22:19

I give you 10 back on top of what you gave me, that type of thing. But the believer will be guiltless in regard to sin and law-breaking. At the white throne judgment of the unbeliever, it's already a done deal. The gavel has come down, you are rendered guilty. See, the Christian stands before the Bema seat. The Bema seat is the same seat that pilot Pontius pilot sat on. It's a judgment seat where you can hear a case. But the white throne judgment, the gavels come down, the unbeliever is rendered guilty and sentencing is about to happen.

Speaker 2: 23:17

This is some scary stuff. I'm telling you this is eternity, and the older I get, the more people I just see going into eternity. There was this some friends of ours down in North Carolina, their neighbor, died a few Sundays ago and I saw him one time cutting his grass and I gave him a head nod, said hello, but he was cutting his grass. And Sunday morning we were staying at their house and I looked out the window and I see the ambulance and I said oh, oh, and when the ambulance shows up and they spend a lot of time in the house and like nobody's brought out, then the police show up, then the paramedics walk back out to the truck. It's usually not good and that's what happened. This dude was in his 60, early 60s, done eternity. He is now in eternity.

Speaker 2: 24:17

Either condemnation or, like Romans eight says there is now. Therefore, there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. We are not subject to wrath. First Thessalonians five, nine. We are not appointed unto wrath, but we are appointed to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ. It says first Thessalonians five, verse nine. So the believer is not condemned. No, jesus was condemned on our behalf. He was the one that was condemned and sentenced to die, and that's what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday that weekend. We celebrate the fact that he indeed died and was raised to life again as a sign that the sacrifice he gave was accepted and is acceptable. Anyway, I'm preaching up in here. We're almost out of time.

Speaker 1: 25:23

Are we almost out of time? We're almost out of time.

Speaker 2: 25:25

Verse 17,. Well, verse 17,. Pharaoh he runs through his dream again. Wow, we're going to have to extend this because I got, I got a little. Can I get an amen? At least some of you guys I mean some of you are feeling it. I tell you what I feel, like the spirit's saying you need to just park it here, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to park it here.

Speaker 2: 25:47

Jesus is the only king that you can approach the way you are, with all your baggage and everything wrong. See, the enemy is will be right there, trying to get yourself right. Get yourself together first, get yourself fixed up, then get, then you come to God. You can't go to God the way you are right now. No, you're a sinner. You can't. No, I'm no, no, no, no, you need to try to get yourself fixed up first.

Speaker 2: 26:15

That's the farthest thing from the truth. Jesus wants you to come to him, as you are the only king that you can have an audience with. But you must come to him by faith and say Lord, please forgive me, cleanse me, forgive me of my sins, fill me with your Holy Spirit and live. Live through me. Show me, lord, I turn for my sin. I want you to live through me. You come to him honestly asking that and you've moved from death to life. Amen, that's all the time we have on this episode of plays on word radio until we get back together again on Friday again. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Come on.

Speaker 1: 27:29

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