Lavishing Total Forgiveness
Finding Jesus in Joseph • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:
Today we will continue our series titled, [Finding Jesus in Joseph]. The subject of today’s message is [Lavishing Total Forgiveness].
Colossians
Forgiveness is a unique topic, but it is what separates what we believe from other belief systems. It intrigues me how many people are trapped in false religions that require so much from people.
look up crazy things people do for false gods
Muslims will offer their lives for Allah. Buddhist monks have set themselves on fire. Hindus will make various sacrifices to appease their millions of gods.
However, for the Christian it is not what we can offer God, but what God has offered us through His Son Jesus Christ. Because of His sacrifice, we can receive forgiveness of sins.
Therefore, the question is not, will God forgive me? It is, will I accept His grace and all that comes with being forgiven! True forgiveness means realizing that our past has been erased and we can move forward with any guilt because of Grace.
Will we be willing to live free from the guilt, condemnation, and shame that is associated with our past? Or will we look back with perpetual sorrow or a consistent longing for the sins of yesterday?
One of them often discussed his past. When he did, it was not from the standpoint of, “thank God that is not a part of my life today.” He always had a longing look in his eyes
If we have been forgiven, we will be thankful that God has erased the sins of yesterday. Then we will look forward to all He has for us! The focus of God’s grace is trusting Him and believing Him, realizing we bring nothing to the table.
By this point in Joseph’s life, we arrive at the spot where Joseph had to show the total forgiveness to people who really didn’t deserve his mercy.
However, this was the moment he had been preparing for for at least twenty years. After leaning on supernatural power to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, God placed Joseph in a position of great trust.
Joseph got it right. For seven years, there was plenty, after seven years, there was famine. Because of Joseph’s divine wisdom, Egypt was spared from the terrible plight that comes with extended drought.
Perhaps Joseph thought this was it, life was good. Unbeknownst to Joseph, the famine spread beyond the borders of Egypt. There was an elder man named Israel who spoke to his ten sons.
He told them to get to Egypt for they had grain. It had been two decades since Joseph had seen any of his family. By this point he looked different, spoke with an Egyptian accent, and assimilated to Egyptian culture.
But when these ten Hebrew shepherds came close, Joseph knew who they were immediately. As they bowed before him, Joseph suddenly remembered his two dreams.
After two decades one would assume they would be out of his memory, but it all came together. What would Joseph do to his brothers? Would he condemn them as guilty or would he extend grace?
Today I want us to look at the process of receiving forgiveness. There are three steps that occur in leading us to the point of total forgiveness with God we start by being, [Saddled with Guilt], then we [Surrender to Grace], and finally our, [Sins are Gone].
Let’s begin
1. Saddled with Guilt
21 Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
By this point, the brothers still thought Joseph was dead. They had no idea that God had given him such favor. Joseph knew the whole story a he just had to know, is my dad and brother still alive.
Knowing the deceptive nature of his brothers, Joseph tested them to see where they were in their lives. After quizzing them about their family, he accused them of being spies and placed them in prison for three days.
After three days, he gave them an ultimatum, one of you will stay in prison until you bring your youngest brother so I can see if you really are spies or not.
By this point the brothers are scared and start to feel guilty. Rueben reminds them, you know why this is happening. I told you to leave the boy alone.
Notice, they did not use his name, just the boy. All ten brothers knew which boy he meant. They were consumed with guilt for what they did wrong. After twenty years, it finally caught up with them.
They began to disagree and all the while Joseph heard every word. He knew that Rueben had tried to defend him. The other brothers did not seem apologetic yet, but they sure felt guilty. They were not to the point where they wanted to repent, they just looked for a way out of their problem.
Joseph chose Simeon, not Rueben who was the oldest to stay behind while they returned home. Though Joseph seemed tough, he wept during this process. He knew how he felt about the situation, but the brothers were not on the same page yet.
Joseph sent the nine brother home, be he instructed his men to give them their money back in addition to the grain and other provisions.
As they went on their journey, they looked in the bag and the guilt continued to mount.
Genesis
28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
At this point, they were still blaming other people. Guilt has a way of doing that. Guilt will cause people to just enough to ease their conscience.
It reminds me of the letter a man wrote to the IRS, it read, “Dear haven’t been able to sleep because last year when I filled out my income tax report, I deliberately misrepresented my income. I am enclosing a check for $150.” He then added, “If I still can’t sleep, I’ll send the rest.”
At this point, they were saddled with guilt, but they were not truly sorry. They were worried about what would happen if they sins were discovered.
When we are in sin, our first stop is to be saddled with guilt. But we have to move on and...
2. Surrender to Grace
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. 18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”
Genesis 43:15-
The nine brothers did not rush back to Egypt. Why? Because Jacob would not let them. The knew they could only return if they had Benjamin, and Jacob would not agree to let Benjamin go with them.
It was only when they were out of food that Jacob sent them back. He sent them with double the money and gifts for the man who seemed to be calling all the shots.
When the brothers arrived, Jospeh had a banquet prepared for them. Notice, Joseph is extending grace to them, and their response?
They were scared to death! They thought he is just doing this because he thinks we have the money. They tried to provide an explanation for what happened. They claimed it wasn’t their fault.
Still, Joseph extended grace.
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’
23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Genesis
Joseph released Simeon and set the brothers down to eat in order of age. Imagine how funny it felt for them to be seated in order:
Rueben
Simeon
Levi
Judah
Dan
Naphteli
Gad
Asher
Isaachar
Zebulan
and Benjamin and he gave Benjamin five times as much food as the rest of them.
And the somewhat funny part of this is Joseph sat at a separate table, the whole time able to hear them, because he still spoke through an interpreter.
After dinner was over he had his servants fill the bags with food and he returned their money. But he did something peculiar. He made them put a silver cup in Benjamin’s bag.
Why would Joseph do this? It almost seems mean, but Jospeh had a reason. This was the point the brothers had to decide if they would move beyond guilt and surrender to grace.
As they journeyed home, Joseph sent his men to stop them. They informed that there was a cup missing. They gave the men permission to look, (not like they needed it) and declared, whoever is guilty can be killed or made servants.
They started with Reuben, went through the other nine brothers and the cup was still MIA. Finally they arrived to Benjamin and lo and behold, guess who had the cup?
13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. 14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” 16 Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”
Genesis
Finally they got to the point of surrender. Joseph saw that they moved from remorse and they begin to repent. Notice the spokesmen for the brothers at this point.
No longer is it Rueben, the elder brother, it was Judah, fourth in line. Why would he speak up, this may seem insignificant to us, but it meant something to Joseph.
As Judah spoke, Joseph traveled back in time to being a seventeen year old boy, listening as Judah hollered, there is no profit in killing him, but we can make a little money if we sell him into slavery.
Judah acknowledged that they could not justify their actions, they were at the mercy and grace of the king. Judah explained that their aged father would die if Benjamin did not return home.
Then Judah did the unthinkable, let me take his place. I will be your slave, just don’t harm my brother.
No longer are they saddled with guilt, they have relinquished their desire to solve their own problems. Not they had to surrender to the mercy and grace of Joseph. What happens after surrender?
3. Sins are Gone
Genesis
1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Make everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.
After hearing that his brothers were truly repentant, this dignified Egyptian ordered everyone to leave the room except for his brothers. They still do not realize his true identity.
For all they knew, he didn’t want any witnesses as he took out his rage and fury, which he had every right to do. They were guilty and they deserved death.
Instead, Joseph told them, through sobbing and tears, I AM JOSEPH. His brothers were silent, struck with fear. The day had come they had dreaded. What would be the judgment of their sin?
Genesis
5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Do not beat yourselves us and feel sorry for what happened. I have forgiven you a long time ago. Joseph finally realized, this was the day he had been training for for two decades.
It was not just to save Egypt, it was to save his family. The time he spent leading in a foreign land, learning contentment in confinement, and leaning on supernatural power led him to this place and this moment.
The brothers who deserved death recieved life.
The brothers who were guilty recieved grace.
The brothers who were rotten were released from their sins.
Joseph did not keep a record of their wrongs for he saw the bigger picture. He understood all that happened and why it happened. God had his hand on the entire series of events.
Notice again in verse eight, it was not you who sent me, BUT GOD! When the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they thought that was the period at the end of the book. But it was just the first chapter.
With each chapter that was written in Joseph’s life, the author’s knew they would get to this place! God orchestrated these events, but it required Joseph willing to play his part and the brothers willingness to surrender to the grace Joseph extended.
Now, after twenty years of guilt, and really thirty-seven years of hatred toward Joseph, all of that was gone, erased, and wiped away!
Why? Because Jospeh extended grace, the brothers surrender and now their sins were gone, Joseph refused to remember the bad, he simply looked at the good!
Close:
What a story of true forgiveness. Sure Joseph saved Egypt from a famine, but the miracle came when God restored Joseph with his family!
As we have looked each week, we have found Jesus in Joseph. There is no greater example of Jesus in the life of Joseph then this particular story!
One of my favorite scriptures about Jesus is not found in the gospels, but in
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Many times people approach Jesus they same way the brothers approached Joseph. They are wracked with guilt. All they can do is remember they wrong they have done or the bad that others have done to them.
Even when grace is extended their guilt keeps them from truly entering into the promises. That is until that great day when they realize, there is a God who loves them, who cares about them, and who is concerned about their needs!
When we deserve punishment, He invites us to sit at His table and eat with Him!
When we try to rationalize the wrong we have done and desperately try and plead our case, He promises us peace!
When we bargain with Him and try to defuse what we think we will be anger, he simply removes our guilt and replaces it with GRACE!
Why would He do this? Because He can sympathize with us. He knows where we have been, because He been there too. He understands the temptations we face, because He faced them too.
The difference, He made it through this life without sin. Now, understanding who we are, what we have done, and where we have been, He looks at us in love and reminds us, don’ t beat yourself up, I took the beating for you.
Don’t live with regret, all I want you to do is to repent, and when we do, just as Joseph forgave his brothers, Jesus forgives. He wipes away our sins. He erases all the negative and terrible things we have ever done.
And now, we can boldly enter the throne room, knowing we are not consumed with guilt, but we are surrounded by grace!