Forgiveness of Others (2)

ME: I remember in 2014 it was one of the hardest years of my life! I was in the middle of my degree at Austin Grad, had just experienced a split in the church where I was the youth minister (which was why I was going to school for in the first place, and at that point I had no church family! I had sacrificed so much driving back and forth to Austin going to school to be the youth minister! Time with my family, gas, money, and my daughter had just started sports. I remember an email from Bro. James Thompson from Wheeless Lane who looked at the directory and noticed that I was no longer registered as a student. He emailed me and asked about my current situation. I told him that I had just found a church that may be my new home congregation, the people were nice, and the youth minister is AMAZING! My kids would grow up with what I had! They would be fine. The next reply to Bro. Thompson was me telling him that a week after we were going the youth minister was leaving for a new job. He encouraged me to apply before leaving and I did! I was on a high! I applied and made the final two candidates and then through another messy situation I was told by the elders that I did not get the position. And it was not because I was not qualified. Again I’m upset, I’m lost to find that here I am in another situation where there should be peace and there was NOT! I felt wronged! I felt hopeless! And I did NOT feel like wasting my time with school anymore. But Bro Thompson encouraged me “Keep in mind there will be other opportunities. Continue your education and studies. It will pay off for you. God bless!” I wasn’t trying to hear that but I respected him and listened. And I believe that we have all been there. In hurt and anger that we did NOT cause! Wondering why God has forsaken us when we have not forsaken Him!

WE: We have all faced times in which we have been wronged! By people, organizations, governments, countries, etc

There are people who have been physically assaulted only to find out it was mistaken identity

People who have been the victims of adultery.

Kids who have been verbally or physically abused by parents who are addicts

Children left without mothers and fathers who were not fit to be parents

Jobs who have passed on you the more qualified candidate to hire a friend of the family or someone who looks externally different than me!

And you may say to yourself “Chris I am not ready to talk about forgiving them! You don’t know what THEY did to ME! YOU don’t know how I still cry at night! You don’t know how it pains me to be in their presence! You don’t feel how my heart begins to race when they walk in the room! And I would say to you that I DON’T know how you feel. But I do know this...

Forgiveness of others allows one to see and participate in the plan of God.

“Forgiveness is the wiping out of an offense from memory; it can be effected only by the one affronted. Once eradicated, the offense no longer conditions the relationship between the offender and the one affronted, and harmony is restored between the two.” —AYBD

“Forgiveness is the letting go of harmful actions to reestablish a loving relationship.” —Bro. C.W. Stephens

Brief History

Joseph was the favorite of his fathers sons.

Might have been guilty of being cocky

Jacob may have been guilty of showing some favoritism.

His brothers were fed up with it and decided they would do something about it.

His brothers originally decided to kill him but his good brother Reuben chose to persuade his brothers to spare his life. They instead decided to sell him. His brothers used the blood of a goat and dipped his clothing in it to show his father. Joseph was then sold in Egypt to an officer of Pharaoh named Potiphar.

39: God was with Joseph and he did well for a while working for Potiphar. Everything Joseph touched was good! He was given great responsibility in the house of Potiphar until Potiphar’s wife got a good look at Joseph. She threw hereself at him one day and he resisted running away but her lies seemed to be stronger than the truth and Joseph was thrown in prison.

40: While in prison he interprets two dreams, one for a baker and one for a cupbearer. They knew that Joseph interpreted dreams and Joseph interpreted them for them. The baker’s dream led to him being told he would die and he did. The cupbearer got his position back and was on good terms with Pharaoh. He told Joseph he would remember him, but he didn’t. Joseph was left to rot in prison.

41: Two years later Pharaoh has a dream and then Joseph is finally remembered! He interprets the dream and saves all of Egpyt! There was a 7 year famine coming and Joseph had the foresight from God to save everyone in Egypt and his family who would be experiencing the same famine!

42-49: Joseph faces his brothers after all these years and chooses to help after a time. He is reunited with his father, meets his new younger brother, brings his family to Egypt, and gets to perform his father’s last wish of being buried in his homeland with his own family.

But when Joseph’s father Jacob dies, the question of forgiveness comes back up among his brothers...

Let us turn our Bibles to Genesis chapter 50...

Genesis 50:15–21 ESV

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

V15

Guilty people know that they are guilty, their guilt is heavy enough without our imposed sanctions. If they remain unrepentant their fate is worse than what they left you with.

V16

“Your father...”

They saw themselves no longer worthy to be seen as brothers or equals.

It is one thing to be angry with unrepentant folks, but folks who are genuinely sorry and change need to be forgiven

V17

“Please forgive the transgression...”

Remember the definition of forgiveness

Forgiveness is the wiping out of an offense from memory; it can be effected only by the one affronted. Once eradicated, the offense no longer conditions the relationship between the offender and the one affronted, and harmony is restored between the two.

“…please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.”

“Joseph wept when they spoke to him.”

At some point we have to let go of the hurt!

V18

The offenders are here williing to allow the circumstances change their position. Probably for selfish reasons but they did it.

V19

“Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?”

No one needs to have subjects but God. In actuality God is the only one who should expect to have not been wronged.

V20

“you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good...”

Meant- to weave. To plan.

All of the plans of the brothers was allowed by God but not for their success!

God does not turn our bad times around he uses them for YOUR good.

God does not wait to see what happens! He allows it to happen so that you may move into your bigger blessing that you have somewhere else.

Why did God allow my spouse cheat on me when I have been a godly spouse?

Chris

He has someone better suited for you who will help you to raise up a godly family

Why did God allow my loved one to die? They were a blessing to me! They were all I had!

Be that for someone else!

Why did God allow me to lose this good paying job that I worked hard for?

He moved you out a place you would have never left so that He can show you His real blessing for your life!

“to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Notice how the relationship was not only reestablish but just like God does when He forgives it was IMPROVED!

He used to be a narcissistic pest!

They used to be accompices to murder!

He used to be an inmate!

But while all that was going on God had weaved HIS PLAN into it all! The pain was present, the hurt was present, the drama was present! But if like Joseph you stay faithful to God through it all! You can play a part in what He is weaving together! Because...

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

You: When you are offended can you trust in the weaving nature of God? Can you trust that even though you have been wronged that God is going to somehow work it for your good? Do you have it in you to be a participant in the plan of God?

Sidebar: The family of Jacob was going to be taken care of regardless of Joseph. God had promised that it would be so. What if he had not forgiven? God would have used someone else!

Community: If this community saw that we forgave others, trusting in the plan of God and being participants, hearts could be unburdened! There are a lot of people in this community who are here because of hurts caused by other people. Let us help release them!

Church: If we forgave within this church we could focus on worshiping God and reaching a lost world.

World: If we forgave imagine a world where history were for learning to not repeat the bad parts instead of holding on to them as rebuttals for peace among people!

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