"God's Good Purposes & the Promise of God Remembered"

Genesis 50:19-21 & 24

LAST WEEK RECAP:

Last week was week and series 3/4 in the book of Genesis…

We looked at Genesis 12:1-3 where we saw GOD speaking and making a PROMISE & aa covenant to ABRAHAM after 250 - 300 years of SILENCE… God promised ABRAHAM that he would make his name great and MULTIPLY his decedents…

God revealed to us through this passage that:

1.) HIS promises to Abraham is GOOD NEWS!

2.) That GOD is FAITHFUL to his WORD

3.) This PROMISE made to ABRAHAM points us to CHRIST

This week however we will be diving into our 4th and last series of Genesis…

The text that we will be diving into is Genesis 50:19-21, 24

And our goal is to answer two crucial questions:

1.) What is God teaching us through this text?

2.) How does His teaching apply to our lives today?

Please follow along with me as I read Genesis 50:19-21,24, it says this,

“19) But Joesph said to them, Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20) As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21) So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones. Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them”.

Skip down to verse 24, for it says,

“24) And Joseph said to his brothers, I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob”.

Before we just dive into the text it is important to understand the context surrounding the narrative and story here in Genesis Chapter 50. For those of you who do not know… Joseph is one of 12 siblings and he was the second youngest of the 12…

Joseph experienced betrayal from his brothers when they sold him Midianite traders for 20 Shekels of silver - which was the common and average price for a slave at that time… since he was favored by his father Jacob and had visions & dreams of of his brother’s bowing down to him… his brothers became jealous and sold him into slavery…

Joseph then became overseer of Potiphar’s household for the Lord had granted him success in all that he did…

Joseph was then accused of being with Potiphar’s wife and was thrown into prison… …

Yet, the Lord was with him and loved Joseph and granted him success… Joseph was then placed in charge of all the other prisoners and interprets dreams for two of the prisoners…

Time goes by and Pharaoh is unable to interpret his own dreams despite his extreme efforts … then Pharaoh calls upon Joesph to interpret his dreams… To make a long story short… Joseph is granted success in all that he does and is placed 2nd in command to Pharoah…

7 years of plenty enter the land of Egypt and Joseph in his wisdom stores up the abundance of food for he knows that there will be 7 years of serve famine…

It is during this time where Joseph encounters his brothers and his family for they are in great need of food… Joesph provides for them… demonstrating that he sees, loves, and cares for his family… even though they had sold him into slavery so many years ago …

In fact Joseph’s family moves to Egypt and are given the “best of the land in Egypt”. The are more than cared for and provided for they are abundantly loved and cared for…

Then Joseph’s father Jacob dies… in Genesis Chapter 49… which brings us to our text that we are looking at today… Genesis 50…

I give you the context, I provide this background and setting to show you that Joseph did not repay evil with evil… Instead of disregarding, disowning, and abandoning his brothers like they abandoned him… he shows forgiveness, mercy, and grace to his brothers…

The first thing that God is teaching us through this text is

POINT #1) “Forgiveness, mercy, and grace CHARACTERIZE a Christian”

It is crucial that you understand that if you say you believe in God, if you say that you serve the Lord, if you say that you know and love Jesus… then you are saying that you are going to unconditionally forgive others …

If you serve God then you are going to forgive those you have hurt you, who have treated you poorly, who have hurt you in ways that you will never forget…

If you serve God you are signing up for a life that requires you to forgive those who have only caused you pain, permanent scares, and wounds that never seem to fully heal..

Matthew 6:14-15 says,

“14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

FORGIVE = “to stop blaming or taking an offense into account”

In other words if you don’t stop blaming or taking offense to what others have done to you, then God will not stop blaming you and taking offense at what you have done bc you do not know the love and forgiveness that is found in Jesus Christ…

…

This is the last verse in the Lord’s prayer… Meaning that if it ends with this… we should probably pay attention to it… if it ends with this verse then we should probably listen to it… it must be important…

Forgiveness is not easy… forgiveness is not fun … At times forgiveness may seem foolish and even frustrating… but a heart this willing to forgive… is a heart that has experienced unconditional forgiveness

What I am trying to express to you is that if you are unwilling to forgive others in your own life… then you do not fully understand the weight, measure, or depth of forgiveness that has been displayed and given to you by Jesus Christ on the Cross…

Forgiveness is not something we just muster up in our own effort or strength… rather forgiveness happens when our hearts are filled with the forgiveness of God for our own sins…

Let me give you an examples of this:

I know someone who I care about and love deeply. This person loved their father and he was a good dad… This persons father died when this person was young… therefore, this person did not get to grow up with their dad or watch their father grow old… This person not only lost their father at a young age but their mother was not kind, gentle, compassionate, or the cuddle love type … Meaning that this person lost their father at a young age and had little to no real connection with their mother… Also, this person experienced physical abuse from another family member… causing mental scars that do not fully fade away… I have the honor of knowing this person and all I have seen from this person is forgiveness, love, and compassion towards their family… when the family calls… this person answers… when the family is in need… this person steps up… when the family continues to mistreat this person… this person has always responded with forgiveness, mercy, and grace.. because this person knows the love of God and the forgiveness that they have experienced in Jesus Christ… …

And friends so did Joseph… Joseph understands that it was God who has orchestrated this plan and it is God who made him successful and it was God who had blessed him abundantly … and that it was God who has forgiven him of his own sins …

Question: I am just curious… would I see Forgiveness in your life… Would your family and friends describe you as someone who is forgiving… full of mercy… full of grace… how do you respond to those who have mistreated you? hurt you? or caused you pain that you will never forget?

I ask because we see how Joseph responded, but more importantly we see how Jesus Christ responded…

Romans 5:8 tells us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners… while we were his enemy and while were nothing but rebellious, indifferent, and ignorant to the things of God… Jesus still died for us… and offers us forgiveness for our sins…

The second thing that God is teaching us through this text is

POINT #2) The Events that we do not understand are still apart of God’s greater plan

I want to make something clear… God is not the author of evil… God does not invent evil or wickedness.. rather, God will allow the wickedness and evil that occurs in our lives and use those situations and circumstances to accomplish his greater plan..

Genesis 50:20 says,

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today”

Joseph was able to understand and see that God had a plan in place for his life…and even though he went through difficult times and situations he was able to recognize who God is that God had been with him through it all… and that the evil that was intended for him to experience…God and God alone used for the Good of Joseph and the people…

I want to be very clear… you will experience evil in your life… you will experience things that are unfair and sometimes not even your fault… you may ask the question, tanner how do you know? I know this because you share this world with other people who crave and love sin… meaning they love to make sure they are taken care of. they will make sure they are ahead, they will do whatever benefits themselves… even if it is at your expense…

Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

You live and rub shoulders with people who are born with evil embedded and woven in the very fibers of their hearts and nature… do not be surprised when they perform acts of evil against you… outside of Jesus Christ… that is who and what we are - evil…

I often think we blame God for the all the misfortune that happens in our lives… leading us to recognize all that he has done for us and questioning his goodness…

When difficult times come are way… it is easier to ask the question, “where is God in all of this?” Instead of, what is God trying to teach and show me in and through this?

Do you see and acknowledge that God has a greater plan for you even in the midst of difficult trying times? Joseph did… How will you respond?

This week we looked at Genesis 50:19-24 & verse 24 where God is trying to teach us:

POINT #1) “Forgiveness will CHARACTERIZE a CHRISTIAN”

POINT #2) The Events that we do not understand are still apart of God’s greater plan

I am going to invite the Worship team back up on stage.. would please pray me with… …

FILL-INS

POINT #1) Forgiveness will ____________ a

____________

POINT #2) The events that we do not

.____________ are still apart of

____________ greater ____________