Losses of Broken Fellowship: Part 2
Losses of Broken Fellowship • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Intro
Intro
We are back in the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis...
And before they became a nation that travelled together, warred together, dwelt together and made decisions together, they began in turbulence… There were some key losses due to broken fellowship...
Satan is certainly the author of broken relationships...
His desire is to break fellowship with believers so that he can steal from us...
On Sunday night we saw the first thing that gets lost or stolen by satan in broken fellowship:
22 years and 20%
Joseph, his brothers and their father all lost 22 years and 20% of Joseph’s life...
That’s 20% of all:
birthdays
milestones
relationship that can never be recovered
Recognizing this, my hope is that we would pay more attention when there is preaching on:
Keys to keeping unity
How to communicate
The danger of the devil in relationships
Why discord is so dangerous
How to raise a Godly seed
Maybe married couples escape attendance would be up
Because we realize what satan is trying to steal from us in our relationships...
The truth to be lived is that we should be focused on mending and strengthening relationships...
Don’t let satan steal that time...
Not only was 22 years and 22% lost, but:
2. Peace was Lost
2. Peace was Lost
The Bible says:
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Rule: to arbitrate; to govern; to act as an umpire
The “peace of God” is what should be governing the condition of our heart...
Whatever “comes across the plate” i.e. umpire… should be measured and ruled by the peace of God...
This would indicate the peace of God in our hearts does not share room with other negative emotions...
I find as you search through the text there were 3 invading emotions that stole peace...
a.) Peace was replaced with Envy
a.) Peace was replaced with Envy
It began with a favored relationship
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.
It grew into hostility
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.
***envy can turn another person’s blessing into a burden
It culminated into irrational decisions
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.
The undealt with envy stole peace in their hearts and it drove them to irreversible action...
***Undealt with envy always progresses into an outward sinful action:
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Proverbs says envy is more dangerous than anger and wrath:
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous;
But who is able to stand before envy?
Undealt with envy drove cain to murder abel
Undealt with envy drove Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery
The chief priests delivered Jesus to the cross out of envy (Mark 15:10)
Galatians 5 says envy is a work of the flesh…
When Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch and drew great crowds to preach the Word of God to, it says, “But when the Jews saw the mulititudes, they were filled with envy…”
It would go on to say in response to this envy they:
Spoke against Paul and Barnabas, contradicted them and blasphemed them
They stirred up devout and honourable women and chief men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas
Then they expelled them out of their coasts
20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea,
When it cannot rest,
Whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger;
Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
a.) Peace was Replaced with Envy
b.) Peace was Replaced with Guilt
b.) Peace was Replaced with Guilt
When Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy corn and Joseph sees them for the first time...
He calls them spies...
He asks them to go get their youngest brother and keeps them in prison...
We see their conversation:
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
22 years later and they are still reaping the consequences of guilt in their life...
They are still recalling the look on Joseph’s face as they cast him into the pit...
Or as they exchanged hands with the Ishmeelites to sell him into slavery...
All of these images and memories are flooding their minds 22 years later...
Instead of the peace of God, they have lost their peace due to guilt...
**Undealt with envy produces an outward sinful action…
Undealt with guilty produces an inward sinful action…
In Genesis 3 - Adam and Eve felt guilt for their sin and hid from the presence of God
It goes further to show that sometimes our response to guilt is self-justification and lack of personal responsibility… “The woman gave it to me”… “The serpent beguiled me.”
Proverbs 28:1 says “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Satan wrecks havoc on the mind through guilt…
Undealt with guilt can lead to despair and self-destruction
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger;
Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head:
As an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and are corrupt
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!
Then had thy peace been as a river,
And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
a.) Peace was Replaced with Envy
They could have lived a life of peace, but they allowed Satan to replace peace with envy...
b.) Peace was Replaced with Guilt
They could have lived a life of peace, but they allowed Satan to replace peace with guilt...
c.) Peace was Replaced with Fear
c.) Peace was Replaced with Fear
28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
Their sin brought fear to Jacob as well:
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.
16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. 4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
But Joseph’s response:
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me,
And horror hath overwhelmed me.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
**Undealt with envy produces an outward sinful action…
Undealt with guilty produces an inward sinful action…
Undealt with fear produces a sinful action to or from something…
Abram’s fear drove him away from possession and protecting of his wife…
John 12 says many of the people believed on Jesus, but did not confess him for fear of the Pharisees
The Bible says Saul was afraid of David, which drove him to attempted murder
Conclusion:
With decisions that lead to broken fellowship, peace was lost...
It was replaced with: envy which drove an outward sinful action, guilt which drove an inward sinful action and fear …which drove a directional sinful action…
Satan would love to draw you into sin and replace your peace with something else...
