It was Necessary ! (Genesis 45.1-11)
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Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.
You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’
Theological Focus -
It is not the realization of human experience that brings wholeness to our life......
...It is instead the manifestation of what God has fully revealed through our human experiences
(Pause)
Intro -
If I told you that I realize that I am standing here talking to you......
........than I have only realized this actual human experience.
But now.......
If i tell you that God previously spoke to me and shared with me that I would be pouring into your lives spiritually
.........now
.....I am no longer just in human experience alone
......but I am now existing in the manifestation of Gods word revealed over my life!
(Pause and expound)
And anytime God is writing your story.............it only makes sense.......
.......at the very end!
(Pause and expound option - on the beginning)
And what Joseph is getting ready to help us see today is that....
Experiences......can tell the story.........in the middle of our lives
but only God........can WRITE the story all the way to the end of our lives!
(slight pause)
EXPERIENCES can explain what happened......
But God has the vastness to explicate or interpret......the WHY and the REASONING standing behind the experience
(Pause and Expound{optional})
Look at it now......
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Joseph has been listening to his brother Judah give an explanation as to their past experiences.......
(Slight pause)
And not only that.........but the brothers have mastered the exam......
.....by bringing their baby brother Benjamin safely to Joseph as requested......
(Pause)
And the reason i believe.......
that Joseph has put them through this test........
is to see if they were going to treat Benjamin..........
the way that they behaved towards him!
(Pause)
Because Joseph has had enough human experiences with his brothers to know who they have been......
........but now he wants to know..........
"have they changed?"
Sometimes.........
you just want to know.....
.......have they changed?
Are they still nasty towards others or have they learned to be better
Do they still manipulating there way through life, or are they more considerate now
(Pause and expound)
And if you go back and read previous chapters.....
you will find out very interestingly.......
that they did not handle Benjamin.......
the way they treated Joseph.......
even though Benjamin was also the son of Rachel!
(Pause)
And so according to the text....Joseph has been holding it in for as long as he could hold himself together emotionally.....
Because if the truth be told......
.....when you got a good heart
........you love folk that hurt you the most
......even though you probably shouldn't!!
(Pause and expound)
But the text says in verse 2.........that after he sends out everybody but his brothers in verse 1
He CRIED!
(Pause)
And one of the reasons that Joseph sends everyone out of the room but his brothers.......
Is not...........because he does not want them to see him crying.........
(Pause)
But the reason he sends them out in my spiritual imagination ........
is because no one other than his brothers have any way of understanding why he is crying.......
(Pause)
Because they only know the Joseph...........
who is serving as ruler second in command to Pharaoh....
(Pause)
But they have no idea............how he got here!
they have no full concept of the pit......
......or the prison
.....and the lies of Potiphar wife
(Long Pause - Expound)
And they have no idea.............of the family conflict between Joseph and his brothers...........
and the magnitude of jealousy that he went through with his brothers
(pause - Expound)
And sometimes church family............
we must become cognizant to the fact that...........
everybody just will not.......... understand why you are crying!
(Pause)
And not only will they not understand..........
but sometimes..........
they don't need to know your business!
they can't help you
they cant change the outcome
(Pause)
Notice in the text..............that Joseph sends out everybody except his brothers.......
(Pause)
Now the text says..........that Joseph is crying so uncontrollably...........
that everybody still hears his level of emotion.......
(Pause)
Expound this -
- Sometimes a GOOD CRY..........needs to be heard
.......even when it can't be fully understood!
(Pause)
And I know I probably just lost all kind of cool points with the fellas in the room...........
But..........if you can't lose it..........with your brothers............
who can you really keep it real with?
(Pause)
And.........Joseph has gone from the PIT.........all the way to the PALACE.......
(Pause)
You name it...................and Joseph has been through it.......!!!!
(CHAOS - check............
LIES - check, check...............
ABANDONMENT - check, check, check
...............JEALOUSY - check,check,check,check,check)
(Pause)
And see............if we count on just our HUMAN EXPERIENCES..........
.we may never get past the tragedy of our story!
(Pause)
But when you begin to comprehend that your human experiences are only telling the story.......
.........YOU CAN HAVE A GOOD CRY.............and keep on going, with tears still in your eyes!
Because......
our experiences are only telling us what happened!
and.......
What I noticed Freedom.....
is that in life, whenever we try to comfort someone that we notice crying......
we always ask.......
What happened?
(pause)
and.......
.....the reason we ask what happened,
is because we need the definition of the experience....
........to validate the current state of their emotions.
(pause)
But........
.........what I have learned to pray for is,
God give me the strength to handle the WHY!
(Pause and Expound)
Look at what Joseph says in verse 3
(Pause)
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
"I am Joseph!"
Note: Freedom.......He says this in their (brothers) native language.....for the first time
None of the Egyptians would understand what he was saying.......
to his brothers when he is speaking to them....
(Pause)
Church family.....
You can change the atmosphere of a room........with how you communicate!
Because when I know you know how to talk in my language..........
I listen to you differently!
(pause)
And there is something intimate..........
there........is a different connection..........
when we are speaking the same language!
(Pause)
Husbands and wives can attest to the fact.....
.......that there is something extraordinarily intimate about speaking the same language.
(pause)
It distinguishes relationship.......
......it fortifies bond and connections
....and lights a fire in the room!
(slight pause)
And at the same time.......
when there is a breakdown in communication and language......
......it can feel as wide as the Grand Canyon!
........and put everything out!!
(Pause)
and this is why I believe..........
......the enemy hates it when we are all speaking the same language
(Pause)
It's because.........
.........it establishes a Real connection in authentic relationship!
(pause)
Most if not all of our calamities........
can be traced to a breakdown in relationship......
How my father treated me
How my mother raised me
the results of that first breakup
(Pause)
But the one thing you can always guarantee......about a REAL CONNECTION..........
.....is that once..........we start talking the same language..........
GET READY...........for some consequential conversation..........
(Pause)
Because........it's not in our nature..........
to waste an intimate setting............when there is a real connection!
(pause)
And that's exactly what happens in the text when...........Joseph says.........
"Is MY father still alive?"
(Pause)
Notice........in Gen. 43.27 he asked his brothers........
"Is your father well?"
(pause)
But now this is different...............
Because Joseph now knows that...............they know who Joseph is......
(Pause)
And when God begins..........to manifest who God is........
and who you are in God.........
(slight pause)
You become vulnerable...........
you have nothing left to lose...............
(slight pause)
.....and so that's the place where we get a whole lot bolder!
(Pause)
And so Joseph asks........
"How's my daddy doing?"
(Pause)
And the text says............
"But his brothers could not answer him.......!"
(Pause)
Because...........anytime somebody asks a REAL question..........in a REAL space......
It demands Honesty.............
(Pause)
And it all depends on............past HUMAN EXPERIENCE....
.....how easy or difficult it is to respond
(pause)
and in my spiritual imagination I see them saying to one another......
“Oh God........how do we get past this?
......we are looking at the scars that we created!
.......we are staring at the pain that we gave birth to
........we have caused an experience that God never intended but only allowed
(Expound if necessary)
And as I looked at this text Freedom.....
....the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask you the question,
“What are the REAL conversations that you need to have with some people and some things in your past?”
Because.......
.......you are stuck in an experience that you can't maneuver beyond
.....without honesty!
(pause and expound)
Look at it now.....
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
According to the text Joseph says......
"Come closer to me"
In other words.....
"Calm down as we walk through this rehearsed experience ......
.......and come over here by me in this manifested revealed reality!”
(Pause)
And then..........what he says next........proves that nothing can bring clarity to a situation like complete honesty.......
Because Joseph says......
"I am your brother Joseph.....whom you sold into Egypt!"
In other words......
Joseph says.....
I am this........
......and you did that!
(pause)
And the power in Joseph's words is that......
Not only is he verbalozing a secret they thought they would never again......
But he is also leveraging the fact that......
His identity is not reduced to what they did to him!
(pause)
In other words...........
nobody else knows that I am the brother you thought you got rid of.....
But nevertheless........
.......I'm still your Brother!
(Pause)
{OPTIONAL: WOW......now you talking about INTENSE.......
.this is HOLLYWOOD material right here
the enormity of emotion encroaching into the speculation of their sinister selections of past behavior is absolutely absurd!!!
(Pause)
And not only that........
but I thought to myself.........
(slight pause)
what about this younger brother Benjamin............
who is hearing all of this for the first time.......
(pause)
I mean what do you do.........
.....when you discover that the probable reasoning behind the way your brothers loved you so hard all this time
......is because they were hiding behind a guilt towards another brother they got rid of!
(Pause and expound)
And............you would think that with all of these negative HUMAN EXPERIENCES......being muddled at the same moment
..........that no good would come out of it....
(Pause)
Because............it's nothing worst than having to bring up............
......what you tried to forget!
(Pause)
But nevertheless.............
if Joseph does not confront his brothers head on..........we never get to verse 5.......
(Pause)
Look at it now.....
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Joseph says........
Yes..........you sold me into Egypt..........
And.....yes you are responsible for my human experiences.......
(Pause)
But Joseph says..........
There's one major...........thing you need to understand.......
(Pause)
Even though.........we're talking about the story..........
and how you played a crucial part in the story.....
"Don't be so hard on yourself......"
(Pause)
"Because God wrote............out your part in my life!"
Freedom........
some of you need to submit the memo to some people and some things that did a number on your life....
......and just let them know,
“God wrote out your part........in my life!”
(pause)
And.........sometimes you got to let your Human experiences know that
...............they did not write their own part!
(Pause)
Joseph says.....
"God sent me ahead of you to preserve your life!"
(Pause)
And so Freedom............
human experiences may tell your story........
but our entire life is a GOD thing!
(Pause and expound)
in other words........
It is God who is always looking forward out into the distance......
......to determine our life path!
(pause)
Look at it.......
For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
And so.......
A 39 yr old Joseph continues to explain how the 30 years he lived before he stood before Pharoah......
......and the 7 years of plenty
.........and the 2 years of famine with 5 more years of famine to go
........was NECESSARY!
(pause)
Look at it.....
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
Joseph says,
God worked it out!
(slight pause)
........and I don't believe that the text is saying that God is responsible for the wicked actions of these brothers of Joseph.
.........but I do believe that the text is saying
.....that God stood by Joseph
(pause longer)
and the reason God stood by him......
......is so that every place Joseph would have failed as a result of anything negative towards his life
.......God was there to say that's not the way this should go,
....and God says,
Let me drop some “Favor” in those spots where “Failure” trys to show up!
(Pause)
Freedom......
........is there anyone in here who has felt God drop Favor in a spot where your enemies planned Failure!
(pause)
look at it.......
So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And this word “sent”......
.......in aramaic or Hebrew means
“to stretch out, or to dismiss”
So Joseph is saying,
Y'all don't have this much power over my life!
(pause)
And I don't know who this is for.........
But they don't have that much power over your life to mess up your destiny!
(pause and expound option)
Joseph says,
God is the one.......
Who got me here!
(pause)
And somebody needs to recalculate everything in your past......
......and come out with some new numbers!
(slight pause)
Because God told me to tell you.......
......It was NECESSARY!
(pause)
And just like verses 9-11.......
where Joseph explains his role in the survival of his father and his brothers.......
Freedom........
...........I need you to get ready to visualize your significance in the outcome of everything around you!
(pause)
Look at somebody and tell them.....
“It was NECESSARY!”
Freedom.....
in verses 12-15......
Joseph continues telling his brothers what he's going to do for them......
and he says,
Go tell daddy to come here to Egypt......
- Tell him everything you seen, and how well I'm doing!
(pause)
Freedom I wish I had time to show you that........
.......the same folk that went and said you was dead
.........dead in your purpose
.........dead in your destiny
(pause)
.....are going to have to go back the same way Joseph's brothers did and say,
......God is prospering you!
.........and not only that but you are in a position to bless everything around you!
(pause)
and the reason is........
because....
The PROCESS
......was NECESSARY!
and in my spiritual imagination.........
I hear God telling Joseph
“Joseph it may not always feel like it.......
but let ev know your process was neceessary!”
(pause)
and in Numbers 23.19 the text says
God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
........................CONCLUSION...................