20240303 Genesis 45: The Unrestrained Power of Sovereign Grace
Genesis: Looking Back in Order to Move Ahead Spiritually • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Call to Worship: Psalm 127
Psalm 127 (LSB)
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 1 Unless Yahweh builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless Yahweh watches the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early, That you sit out late, O you who eat the bread of painful labors; For in this manner, He gives sleep to His beloved. 3 Behold, children are an inheritance of Yahweh, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. 5 How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with enemies in the gate.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 45
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 Then he wept loudly. And the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And they came near. And he said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 “So now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “So God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you alive for a great remnant of survivors. 8 “So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has set me as a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has set me as lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. 10 “And you shall live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have.
11 “There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, lest you and your household and all that you have be impoverished.”’ 12 “And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 “So you must tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.
16 Now the news was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” And it was good in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 “Now you are commanded, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 ‘Now do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. 23 Now to his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. And he said to them, “Do not be stirred up on the journey.” 25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.
26 And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But his heart was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27 Yet they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him. Then the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
(1) The restraining power of the Holy Spirit
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Joseph could not restrain himself
Ah, but he did!
The work of the Holy Spirit - the Character of the Holy Trinity
(2) The sovereign power of the gracious Father
5 “So now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 “For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 “So God sent me before you to establish for you a remnant in the earth and to keep you alive for a great remnant of survivors.
8 “So now, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has set me as a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has set me as lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.
Why do we we need to constantly be reminded of the predetermined plan of God and the foreknowledge of God?
(3) The forgiving power of the merciful Savior
20 ‘Now do not concern yourselves with your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
The forgiveness of Joseph - more than not punishing, it is the reiving the riches of mercy, it is receiving blessing.
You know you have forgiven someone when you desire that they be blessed
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight,
7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the unfathomable riches of Christ,
And now the Lord who has loved you with an everlasting love, support you all your days with the everlasting arms, until the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow. Amen.
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was being betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.