The Losses of Broken Fellowship: Part 1 (22 years and 20%)
Losses of Broken Fellowship • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
Today you would have read Genesis 42-44 in our Bible readers...
In light of what you just read, I want to bring your attention to a key truth in this very familiar story...
We know the story of Joseph well:
A man named Jacob had 12 sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher) by 4 wives (Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah and Rachel)
These will become what are called “The 12 tribes of Israel” with slight variation...
Levi will be a tribe, but their use is specific from God…
They are the priests in the nation of Israel to have holy responsibilities from God...
Their “inheritance” is the job they are given and they are emphasized throughout scripture...
There is no “tribe of Joseph”, but instead, Jacob essentially gave a double portion to Joseph by using his children as tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh
The # 12 is often considered the number of “covenant completeness”:
12 sons
12 tribes
12 stones
12 apostles
But before they become the “12 tribes of Israel”, there is turbulence in the family...
In fact, what will become a nation of people split amongst 12 tribes, will start off in broken fellowship...
Later on in scripture they:
Travel together
Fight together
Dwell in the land together
Make decisions together
Sin together
They do everything together...
But before that, they begin in broken fellowship… which cost them...
<<<7 Losses of Broken Fellowship>>>
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. 4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. 19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. 21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him. 22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again. 23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.
Instead of killing Joseph, they decide to sell him
They sold him to the Ishmeelites for 20 pieces of silver
They turned around and sold Joseph into Egypt, specifically into Potipher’s house
From there a lot happens to Joseph...
But I just want to stay focused on the relationship or lack of relationship between Joseph and his brothers...
Specifically, the losses of broken fellowship...
The question: What was lost when Joseph’s brothers had broken fellowship with Joseph because of their envy?
The FIRST thing that was lost: 22 Years & 20%
The FIRST thing that was lost: 22 Years & 20%
Genesis 37:2 - Joseph is 17 years old
Genesis 41:46 - Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh
7 years of plenty occured, now Joseph is 37
Then the 7 years of famine begin, but by the time Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt and see Joseph, they are early in the famine, that makes Joseph about 39 years old
With my children:
I feel like a lot is missed in just a few days or a week...
Especially at young ages, you miss so much in such little amounts of time...
They grow like crazy… they learn so fast… they start doing things they haven’t done before...
When broken fellowship occurs do to things in your control or beyond your control, time is lost...
Those 22 years should have been spent:
With Joseph being taught how to shepherd by his brothers
With Joseph learning how to tend to the flock himself and join his brothers in the field
With Joseph growing closer to his brothers and father
Celebrating birthdays, successes together
And comforting each other in failures and defeats
But instead:
There is 22 years of life erased
Joseph lived to be 110 years old
The cost of broken fellowship was exactly 20% of Joseph’s life
20% of birthdays
20% of growth, maturity and milestones
20% of influence they never had
20% of relationship that could never be recovered
Want to see an amazing example of grace?
Interesting note:
Joseph and his brothers lost 1/5 of Joseph’s life due to their envy...
Later in Genesis 47:24, after the famine had ravished the people of Egypt, they sold their cattle, their houses, their land and finally themselves…
The cost that was paid to Egypt was 1/5...
20% tax was considered the appropriate payment as a servant to a nation...
Joseph lost 1/5 of his life spending time with his father and brothers...
Joseph was now being paid 1/5 of all of Egypt’s earnings...
Joseph’s brothers gave away 1/5 of Joseph’s life spending time with Joseph and stealing that time from their father...
But instead of requiring they pay the tax, the Bible never says Joseph taxed his own family...
Instead:
12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.
They did not sell land to Joseph for food because they didn’t own any...
Instead, Joseph gave them the best of the land in the land of Rameses...
Egypt was taxed as tenant farmers
Priests were exempt by law
Jacob and his sons were sustained by relationship
While all of Egypt was under a governing law...
Jacob and his sons were under grace by Joseph...
What a great typology of Jesus Christ found in the life of Joseph...
Conclusion:
Sin steals time that cannot be recovered...
But God’s Word says:
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Is there some time that needs to be redeemed with:
Your husband or wife?
With your children?
With your grandchildren?
With your effort given toward God?
The first “loss of broken fellowship” we see tonight is: 22 years and 20%...
