Confidential Forgiveness

Series: Total Forgiveness

Confidential Forgiveness

Gen. 45:1-10

Theme: Joseph demonstrates total forgiveness by confidentiality

Introduction: Forgiving others is a command from God and difficult to fulfill. We learned through the death of Jesus that He not only forgave those who offended Him, but prayed for them to be forgiven and blessed by God. Total forgiveness is not just for you to “let them off the hook” but to pray for God’s forgiveness and blessing on the other person. It is entirely possible to forgive them outwardly but inwardly believe and hope for God to judge them. That is not total forgiveness.

In the passage we just read, we learn total forgiveness has a much deeper component. Joseph demonstrates total confidentiality for his brother’s infraction.

Christians will often use prayer requests to reveal things that should be kept secret. For example, please pray for my brother-in-law who stole money from my mother. Or please pray for brother so and so who is having an affair on his wife. This is not total forgiveness but gossip information. This is why I believe there are just things that should be kept confidential.

Joseph demonstrates this in the passage so clearly how to treat people properly when you have total forgiveness.

Steps of confidentiality.

I. Begins in the heart

A. Spent time with God

1. Scholars believe Joseph was in prison before he became prince to the king about 22 years. There are some who believe it was 18 years.

2. During that time we read about his life and the way he reacted to situations.

3. Careful reading will lead us to believe he spent time in prayer and it seemed during the last two years is where total forgiveness became his reality.

4. Even though he spoke to them roughly, he took care of them by feeding and making sure they were protected.

B. Cleaned his heart

1. In v.5, Joseph acknowledged he knew it was God’s will.

2. He had accepted where God placed him and his heart was clean from anger and bitterness towards his brothers.

3. Bitterness grieves your life v.5 and the Holy Spirit-

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:30–32)

4. Please notice grieving the Holy Spirit is in the context of forgiveness.

5. Bitterness only robs us personally of the peace and fullness of the Holy Spirit’s work in our life.

II. Maintain privacy of others

A. Eliminated others knowing

1. To ensure privacy, he asked everyone to leave v.1

2. He did not want one person in Egypt to know what his brothers had done to him.

3. Two reasons: he wanted to bring his entire family to Egypt (proof of total forgiveness) and Joseph was a hero in Egypt by interpreting dreams of Pharoah which saved the nation.

4. He did not want anyone know to ensure the privacy of his family.

B. Did not discuss it with others

1. He did not discuss it with others around him.

2. It was as though their sins did not exist, they are gone from his thoughts or heart.

3. Total forgiveness means you move past the hurt and pain when you maintain the privacy of others.

4. He lived by the truth of Micah.

“He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:19)

III. Follow the example of Christ

A. God freely forgives

1. God is willing and does forgive us of our sins

“As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

2. It is as though the sin never existed and God is willing to forgive our sins

because of Christ.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” (Romans 3:24)

B. God tells nobody

1. There are lot of things God knows about me, He will not reveal to others.

2. Can you imagine if all your sins were listed on a big screen when you walk in for everyone to know?

3. It is a reminder that God totally forgives and demonstrates this by never speaking to others or bring it up again as to punish us.

4. Sometimes the offended tells others what the offender did as to discredit or hurt them-but total forgiveness keep private what has been said.

5. It is comforting to know that God freely and totally forgives all our sins and will never tell what He knows.

You may say: I still feel guilty. First of all you have to forgive yourself. Secondly, while God handles forgiveness as if there was never any sin committed, sin itself brings guilt and shame. The infraction of sin brings tremendous guilt upon someone. This is the side effect of sin

C. God allows us to approach Him

1. When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he wanted them to come near to him and not be intimidated by them.

2. God’s forgiveness invites us to come to Him, to approach Him, and have fellowship with Him.

3. A person who has not totally forgiven uses intimidation to punish others which tells me they have unforgiveness in their hearts towards someone or other people

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

4. Some will even use intimidation and fear to keep people from knowing who they really are and what grudges they are hold inside.

IV. Remember our weaknesses

A. Our capability of sinning-if it were not for God’s grace, we could have done the same thing.

B. Our blind spots-all of us have blind spots-blind to our bitterness, our unforgiveness, our failures, our unkindness.

C. Our humility-total forgiveness is not just for a moment but it must be daily-daily I must submit my heart and hurts to God—we are to allow those who offended us to save face and embarrassment vv. 7-8.

Sin that is under the blood of our sovereign Redeemer does not need to be confessed to anyone but God.

Conclusion: Total forgiveness means total confidentiality. We do not broadcast it to others or write it in the Christian newspapers or social media. We give it to the Savior.