BBBI - 2019.08.28 - PM - The Trial of Your Faith... Much More Precious (Gen. 42)
What states are Bibles for a few moments and let's turn over to Genesis chapter number 42 and let's get in God's word because that's where we find the ultimate listing. Amen. And so from the scriptures tonight. We look at Genesis chapter number 42 now, I wish that I could come to you tonight and say that we've got a a nice so, you know fluffy message for you, but there's going to be some difficult things that we've got to look at in God's work tonight. So with his help will be able to understand them and And sew in Genesis chapter number 42. I don't want to read the whole chapter 4 times sake but I do want to draw your attention Down 2 verse number 21 and want you to see the words that we read here now for those who might not know where we're at in Genesis 42. We're in the life of Joseph and Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Very cruel thing. They did they had no idea that all this time had passed and now Joseph has been made second in command under Pharaoh himself and Joseph went through a great ordeal. He has he suffered false accusations State Prison in the war for many years. He was forgotten there by The Bachelor. And yes for those who've been with us know, he's the Butler and the Baker and so Joseph was forgotten there for a couple of years and Pharaoh dreamed a dream and threw that dream he dreamed of 7 cows and dreamed of 7 ears of corn and threw that dream Joseph. Broad as a prison to interpret that dream for farro with God's help and he gave God glory for the interpretation of that tree and Wednesday row heard the wisdom of Joseph. He appointed him and selected Joseph be over the seven years of plenty in light of the seven years of famine. That would come now Joseph has seen those seven years of plenty in the famine has certainly come just as he said it would from Pharaoh's dream. Now the trouble is this was a worldwide famine in his day the whole Known World suffered from this payment and it's Joseph sits on the throne really second-in-command under Pharaoh ordering the Affairs of selling all the grain are coming to him to look for food and now his brothers his own brother's the same ones that sold him into slavery all those years ago. I presume that Joseph probably took up his post close to Memphis. Tennessee November sin the Nile area and that Delta Region. I suppose that he sat there on purpose because he was looking towards Canaan and he remembered his dream. And in fact in Genesis 42, you'll read those very words that Joseph remembered his dream. Now that dream goes all the way back to chapter 37 his brothers made fun of him for that dream because in that dream his brothers would bow down before him and make obeisance to him Joseph remembered his dream when he saw them and recognize them but you know as an Egyptian, they didn't know who he was he had been shaving and in his garments were different. There was no way they could recognize Joseph and yet There Were Ten of them there and Joseph certainly pick them out of the crowd and remembered his brother's so they come to him and he deals harshly with them at first and there's a reason for that because Joseph was testing his brother. He wanted to see if they really had repentance in their heart for how they treated him before. And to see if there was by chance some way that they had changed over the years or if they were still the Rotten Scoundrels that threw him to the ishmaelites and sold him into slavery as there any change happened what we read verse 21 and they the ten Brothers. They said one to another we are verily guilty concerning our brother. Who are they talking about their they're talking about Joseph. They know they're guilty understand them because he's been speaking through an interpreter this whole time. So he's he's kind of incognito. He's under the radar and they don't know that he can understand everything. They're saying going to pour their heart out and say we are barely guilty that surely we are surely guilty concerning our brother and that we saw the anguish of his soul when he be sawdust when Joseph was Pain in the pit by them. He was crying out to them for mercy and they would not listen to him. They would not give him any help any Mercy in the Bible says we would not hear their food is this distress come upon us what the stress will the chapter recordes how Joseph had them put in prison for three whole days. He had all 10 of them locked up. And then I don't know if it was just he changed his mind somewhere along the way or he came up with a better plan. Originally. He was going to keep them there until the family came, but he said you can leave one of them one of your one of the 10 has to stay back in Egypt because I want to prove your words. You're telling me you've got a father and a brother back in Canaan and I think your spies Joseph is thinking they're spies and he's accusing them of that. So false accusation. What did Joseph suffer at their hands? Well, he suffered false accusation didn't accuse him of something. He didn't do and he suffered in prison now, they only had to spend three days there Joseph had to spend years in prison. And before we harsh on them, let's remember that God is the one behind the workings here using Joseph ultimately prove them and try them and so Ruben verse 22 answered them. Speaker not on to you saying not sin against the child if we go back to chapter 37. We're Joseph was thrown in the pit with no Ruben had good intentions, didn't he? But he had his other brothers to do 11 here will 10 really it's one against the other 10 and Ruben Ruben said, he don't hurt him. We'll figure out what to do later. But by the time he comes back the Brothers Soul Joseph's and Ruben can't do anything about it. But here he remind some hey I wasn't for what you guys were doing to begin with don't you? Remember that? I warned you. I told you spank. I none of you saying you're not sin against the child and you would not hear their for behold. Also. His blood is required and they knew not that Joseph understood him for he spake unto them by an interpreter and he turned himself about from them Joseph. Did he turn himself about and wet and returned to them again and commune with them and took from them Simeon and found him before their eyes. So the other nine Simeon is going to stay back and Joseph Fiennes and he ties him up and says you send me and you are staying here and the others are going to go back now as they journey I think that we see a little bit of their guilty conscience here. It isn't it interesting how the Lord uses memory sometime. And he'll bring back those memories for purpose in counseling many times. I will try to help people and explain to them. There's a big difference between guilt and conviction guilt is typically from Satan and it's the World the Flesh and the devil fighting against us and guilt would tell us that yes, we're Wicked. Yes. We did something that we should have done we're Center that's guilt and we feel guilty when we feel shame from that. But what the devil won't do is offer you a way to get right he wants you to stay guilty. He wants you to feel that way. You can never come before God ever again. But I'm thankful that the Holy Spirit Works through conviction. And the guild that we have because of our sin ought to bring a shame but conviction then settles into our heart and we realize that God is about restoration. He's about restitution. He is about reconciliation and he wants us to be right with him and she doesn't want us to continue in a state of Shame. Know what are depravity we are shameful preachers a wretched worm. Am I so I'mma sit? Who am I that God would even Center? But he does because he loves us and as he's reaching out he is proving what will become the nation of Israel and they've got to go through the fires of testing and as they do such a little more dross will be burned off in their life and don't come forth like gold and so there's a thought I'd like for you to hang onto tonight. Some words that John Newton wrote many years ago. There's a there's a line in that song Amazing Grace, you know the song that line. I want you to think about goes like this twice Grace that taught My Heart To Fear These men are scared to death, but can I tell you it's not because of their shame that they ought to be afraid know it's by the grace of God that they have come face-to-face with their fears and the sphere is going to set them free so that they can find forgiveness and reconciliation with their brother and God's going to mend a broken relationship through the rest of this story really if I had time tonight. We need to go through chapter 42 43, 44, 45 46 47 48, you get it. There's a lot all the way up to Genesis chapter 48. We see Joseph are there's going to be about three different trips that his brothers are going to make back and forth between Canaan and Egypt coming back to Joseph and Joseph. Now you got understand this for let's see. I don't know how many exactly years before this but you remember God promised Abraham Some things about his descendants. If you go back to Genesis, 12 13 14 and 15 in that passage where God gave Abraham the Covenant promises. He informed him prophetically that his descendants would spend anybody want Adventure years with his descendants spend in bondage in Egypt. What was the prophecy?
400 years. So let's connect that. Joseph now is God's instrument for good. Joseph is God's man to get the promises that he made to Abraham fulfilled as Joseph will be the one who ushers his family down in Egypt Joseph makes the way for God's promises what a beautiful story as it unfolds before us and our broken hearts that need to be bound up. There's a heaviness Lord. There are memories that may come through our time tonight that only your grace can bring relief to I asked Lord for the balm of Gilead to be applied to the soul that's in need of it that through Jesus Christ. We would seal or that we would move away from any lukewarmness or apathy in her heart that we would remember how good you are to us Lord and through trials and through difficulties. I pray Lord that your word would take preeminence and that you would magnify your word above all your name and that we would find great hope and comfort through it and Lord. I pray that you would help us to understand how valuable our conscience is in this process of understanding your brace many times Lord that conscience can be seared in severed and we can ignore that still Small Voice and go on about our sin and it doesn't bother us like it once did a Lord give us a tenderness toward send tonight help us to see it as you do and to acknowledge it before you not hide in shame from it, but to acknowledge your question all the way back to Beginning wherefore art thou Lord you desire us to be in your presence in the fullness of light and I thank you for the blood of Jesus Christ your son that cleanses us from all sin. Help us to understand you work tonight to grow in the grace and knowledge of your son Jesus Christ and I'll thank you for what you do in Jesus name. Amen. There was a mother that was helping her son with his spelling assignment one time. How do you like to do your spelling assignments at night? And I've got some some young young children that don't like to do their spelling sometimes and we have to write I didn't get them. All right all the time, but I thought I did. Okay and spelling will this mother was helping her son with a spelling assignment and she came to the word conscience. and the word conscious and so she she asked him if he knew the difference between the conscious is spelled c o n c i s Jack even spelled c o n s c i o u and then the other word is conscience think on science conscience and Soul by mass. Do you know the difference between those two and he responded to her mom yet? Yeah. I know the difference conscience is when you're aware of something. And conscience is when you wish you weren't a good way to put that thought. The conscience there was a an Indian chief one time that describe the conscience like a how do you say he said it was like a sharp square peg in our hearts and if we're confronted by questionable situation that square begins to turn and its Corners cut into our hearts warning us with an inward anyone on to save the conscience is ignored overtime the corners of the square or gradually worn down and it virtually becomes a circle. I thought that was a good picture of how our conscience can do is there was a it was a pirate you you guys are like this story about a pirate day, but you don't like this part of because he got caught and they were going to execute him in New York. And one of the things that you said was he could remember the ship he ever rated he could remember the very first time you took a man's life and looted and plump and plundered and pillage. He said he couldn't sleep at night that first time it just ate him up all the guilt all the shame from it. But he said after time it got easier and easier and easier that was his final confession before they executed him for all his piracy and he terrorized the Caribbean area and in the South America's and all of that notorious and he met his in with a guilty conscience, but you see his testimony was that over time his conscience or down? And he severed his conscience whole talks about her conscience being seared with a hot iron because we go after things, you know, you can do something and it ought to bother you but if you do it again and again and again you build up a you build up a a d sensitivity to it. I should probably say it like that you become desensitized and it doesn't bother you like it once bothered you. Can we stay tender to God we see the ocean in Reuben and the other brothers now is that study through this passage there were some things that stood out to me. That really speak to our growth and faith. Going back to that phrase twas Grace that taught My Heart To Fear. At least man confront their fears. They know that God is there sin is finally catching up with them. It doesn't they don't Joseph to tell them that God is doing these things. They just know they just know that God now because of what they had sewn all those years before now that is catching up and they're paying for their sins and Ruben acknowledges that I want you to notice some things tonight as we look at Genesis 42. I've already given you context and so we're in the middle of the life of Joseph and he is ruling out in helping the world. He is saving many people through his effort because of his wisdom to lay up for the seven years of the plenty to be able to distribute in the seven years of famine. I want you to notice the pressures of providential circumstance. Look at verse 1 and 2 if you would the Bible says now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt Jacob set into his son's why do you look what a pain and I I get this picture by there and Kayden and I think it's interesting how the scriptures put it because each other why are you sitting here staring at each other Joseph now? What is the 1-2-3 what's 1/4 word in diverse? Number one? All right song Now That is saw as in perceived. That's not solid. Like with the teeth where you cut wood with the guys. Okay, he saw now this word is wrong comes from the Hebrew word to see but it means to perceive to see here Joseph saw. Why do I say that because you and it'll answer the question and he said Jake Jacob said behold I have and what's the next word there? Did you know that you can see by hearing? I think that through it'll take him home too soon can use your ears to see. Blind people do this don't they they use other senses to be able to perceive what's going on around it. And so somehow someway Jacob here gets word and I think that somebody shared with him so good at or who saw somebody coming with some Caravans and said, what's all that weird? You tried all that green. And so he heard that there was applied this if you listen to his Through the Bible radio program, he does a good job on this application. How will the scripture say believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved but doesn't believe in God. So, how do we believe Well, the Bible also says in Romans chapter 10 verse number 17 Faith cometh by you know the verse and hearing by the word of God. Jacob herd, and he believed see now that's just a simple thing, but doesn't it show us a spiritual application. Have you heard how good the Lord is have? You heard how he sent his son from Heaven to die on the cross for your sins have you that Jesus Christ place as though he were you before you taking all your sin and all of your guilt and all your shame nailing upon his crawl Facing him. We're set free. You see how Jacob just Shrugged it off and so don't believe it. You know, I've heard that there's food down there but I don't believe it they would have died it would have died in the family. You see my face by just a simple act like this. He's relying on what he's heard now granted that illustration breaks down a little bit doesn't because these are the foul boards men, but we're dealing with in faith cometh by hearing is the infallible word of God. Jesus Christ said himself. I am the bread of heaven and we're in a spiritual salmon before we find Christ our souls are hungry and void and there's an emptiness within us than only Jesus Christ can fill and so is we come to the Lord by faith we find out he is the bread of life. Amen and satisfies the long Universoul, but the pressures of providential circumstance what I call them because God's moving them to Egypt and he's using fan to do so. Think about your own life as you walked for the Lord if you block for him for any length of time many times. God will use things like Fame and he'll use trying circumstances. Do we use dried up finances who used difficulties with others around you to show you closed doors where you're at because he's moving you from one place to another. I remember when God called us away from Pensacola. We didn't want to leave is a great place to be we had a great church. We had, you know, we had to college there. We had a school that would be great for our children. We want we didn't really have any desire to leave Pensacola, but door after dobrik and of cloves and God was pumping Us in urging us away. And we prayed and sought the Lord and he confirmed through peace and Grayson and other means and also through other people good God the counselors on all along the way that he wanted us here in this area of Northwest Denver. And so we followed him by face out here to minister the gospel. Never looked back since it's been a great journey in God's taken care of us all along the way but how we stay to Pensacola? I don't know if I could have the same testimony. I'm sure God would have taken care of us, but he probably would have had to work on me pretty hard. If I was that obstinate and stubborn to not be able to realize that still Small Voice in the tender to Grace that he was giving us to get us from one place to another because we were so rooted there. You know, we we we were settled down there. We were getting ready to make his family there in God's is nope here. Name of the song so Jacob and his family have to get to Egypt because it was prophesied and God's word will be fulfilled. So he's providential circumstances you see them, and it's through great pressure don't ignore the pressures that maybe from God moving you to where you can be in the center of his perfect will as you go just be careful to give him glory. See Joseph is already representing Israel down in Egypt. I think it's interesting to note. How many people come to know God through Joseph? You have to kind of see this as you read the story about his life but time and time again you will you will encounter Joseph and then you'll see someone there with him. For instance. He has a servant with him that he's going to give instructions on how to work with his brothers as they go back to Canaan and his servant is going to come back eventually and tell them I had I had all the I was following Joseph Construction. St. Joseph's Lott impact the others to bring them to a knowledge of God. Everyone knew that the Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph. That's why Joseph was on him and it was never forgot. He remembered his dream that God had shown him before what would what would come to pass and the very same words are used as you see his brothers bow down before him and making obedience to him. It's the same Hebrew word in chapter 37 when he had that dream. So it's connected what God Said would come to pass. Do you believe God's word you have space to see? Can you see how pressures in life might be moving to Providence base? God might be trying to get you where he wants you to be able to bring himself Glory through you and the furtherance of the Gospel faith comes by hearing notice. They're going to find food in the fan and verse 3 Joseph's 10 bredrin went down to buy corn in Egypt. Now. There's 12 of them. Right and Dinah's 13th. She's the daughter and so there's 12 sons of Jacob. Joseph is not well. Yes he is but they don't know that Joseph does Jacob does know that Joseph is alive. Insure one of them's already down in Egypt 10 of them are going to go down now why because Benjamin's going to stay back Jacobs not ready to let Benjamin go. Why would this be? Well, I think his brother made their bad those other 10 that are going to go down Jacob nose. Can I tell you there's some sometimes? Sometimes parents just know. We might not be able to quite put a finger on it. I think I'll Jacobs like that here. Remember that fateful day that we read about in chapter 37 after his brothers through in the pit. How did they cover it up? Will they took his coat of many colors the data given him they killed a kid of the goats and they smeared blood all over it. They just brought. What's this? So it's all good. Right? It's all covered over. Nobody's the wiser. O Jacob just came to the conclusion that Joseph had been slain and killed on the message, you know, is he sent him up to go check on his brothers? It was all Jacob's fault that you fell among trouble and got killed. He has no he can't blame the brothers for it because he doesn't have proof, but I'll tell you.
And this is proof of it right here because he says Benjamin you're not taking him down there. Not again. I've already been one of my children and I'm not going to let that happen. So, you know, he can't blame them down inside. He knows they had something to do with what went on with Joseph disappearance. Just keep in mind Mom and Dad know sometimes we can't quite put a finger on it, but God gives intuition and we might be able to to see some of that they're sticking to find food in the famine. They're going to go down to buy corn and Egypt. Benjamin is not going to be sent with them and the sons of Israel know the name Israel here came to buy corn Among Us for the famine was in the land of Canaan and Joseph was the governor over the land. He was that sold all the people to Bland. All the people that are down there think about this providential meeting. I mentioned I think Joseph took up his his place of business. They're in Memphis on purpose because he's out there looking towards Canaan. Remind me of another father that was looking for his son to return see the faith of Joseph even comes through in that doesn't it? Because he believes God is going to use him that now he's in this position to see if she'll come down and fulfill the very word of God. You're going to find food in the salmon. I want you to notice beginning and verse number 6 all the way down to verse number 28 only do we see the pressures of providential circumstance? We also see the pain of approving conscience the pain of approving conscience conscience the conscience of his Brethren are going to be tested and it's going to be tested through pain there. There's going to be painful memories if we read verse 6 and and just scam on down we see there's a lot of remembering going on restore nine Joseph remembered the trains see those were memories that Joseph had that reminded him that God still moving and working. And then he works with his brothers and deals with them harshly. He calls them spies. Now we might think spies is this a military campaign, you know, we think of covert operations and those kind of things Spy Academy and all the stuff that we listen to Patch the Pirate his and his stories. No, that's not the kind of spies.
In the East and the Asiatic it is that people would come and they would spy out the land in this sense. And that's what Joseph is blaming them for not that they're coming to try to amass a military conquering of Egypt. That's not what Joseph's concerned about. What he's looking for are people that are going to come through and see where the storage barns are. And then when they go back home, they're going to tell their buddies and in the middle of the night there all their torches in their pitchforks and however, you want to imagine it and they're going to come down and see all the Barns and steal all the grain. Joseph says that's why you've come you've come to see where everything is to spy out the land and to be able to walk here and there in two to be able to strategize on how you're going to come and rain and take all of this grain and we're helping everyone with they said no. No, that's not true at all. That's not why we came now. I'm one of the things I noticed here is if you read chapter 42 and you don't keep reading you're going to think that they just automatically started spilling all the beans got a dad back home, and we've got a brother back home and we've got all this back home and can promise you we're not here to do so we can live
Hugo re chapter 43 you find out they get back to Dad we get a little more details because Dad basically says in the world
Parents, we never have to worry about our children say anything, you know, that would kind of put put their shoe-leather in their tongue. Huh. Now we don't have Dad saying, why did you spell why did you will you go read it and they're answer is because asking he asked us Fastest intensely. So as Joseph was dealing with them harshly you seen the good cop get Badcock kind of thing right where they put you down under the spotlight one of you make me sweat in the other one comes in and knocks you some water and the other one makes you sweat until they they break that confession out of you. I don't think that they just offered up this information. I think Joseph worked with them to be able to get it out of the because he knew them he knew they had it that he knew they had another brother and so he was able to get that information out of them and they were able they were able then to share with him. Yeah. We do have our father back home, but that was something interesting that I noticed because if you re chapter 42 again, it just looks like they came forward and spilled the beans with no prompting. They didn't do it. Just gave it all gave up all the information. We'll know Joseph was working with them. What does that show is? It shows us the wisdom that Joseph has and that he is understanding better what God is doing in this situation from his Vantage Point used instrument to prove them and try them and to test them to see if their conscience really is bothering them and we read it in verse number verse number 21 following its eating them alive. Joseph didn't bring up these memories but there's painful memories God is requiring Joseph blood at our hands see they don't know. This is Joseph is gone.
catching up with us painful memories of conscience we continue reading an inverse number 25 Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn and restore Every Man's money into his sack. I want you to pay attention to this because Joseph has graced toward them. They don't understand the right. You're going to head over here to King Sooper and you're going to steal your card up and you're going to go up and get all the goodies, you know, all the pop tarts and all the all the all the good stuff from the freezer section in the ice cream in dead matter. What kind of visits all the favourite kind anyway, and so just ice cream Galore and your carts filled with all this sugar that you really shouldn't eat and all these goodies and you got to pay for it you check out you go through the line and you pull out Mom's credit card to pay for all this junk food, and then the card gets swiped you load it all into the car and somebody Parts at home for you to get it all unloaded and lo and behold when you get the credit card statement find out that $450 grocery bill well, It's a it's actually showed up in your account. So you just made out of the grocery store and you got all your food and I just gave it to you didn't know was the manager special on that day. That's a huge manager special by the way. I don't know, but that's how it worked out for me. Joseph tells his servant he says put all their corn put all the Grain in one Sac other provisions and then also all the money they paid for it. Put it back in the roller bag. There's two tube socks occurring once filled with green the others with their they're traveling stuff. So they get down the road aways and it Dawns on them. We're in trouble what they think is they're being set up because Joseph had accused him of being spies in the land. And now what are they going to do to get locked up for treason? And it's going to be proven. What are they going to do going to have a leg to stand on because they get all their money and it got all the Grain and now they're in trouble. So what do they do while they continued on home? Because I can't go back without Benjamin. Anyway, they've got to get Benjamin so they go back and they're going to try to work with Dad Dad. We've got to get Benjamin back there. Reuben is the first one who stands up and says, hey Dad, you know, there's only nine of us now right can count on one of us is missing. Do you know which one anybody want Adventure guess who stay behind a reference to me earlier Joseph Joseph still found him before his brothers. I really commentaries and commentary after, Terry says we don't know why he picked Simeon. So I have to agree with that. I'd really don't know the text is silent, but let me look back on life here for a few minutes.
Semi and did some very wicked things. It does not say simeon's name, but some of the wording is almost identical.
With a murmur in the talking amongst themselves that was going on when Simeon and Levi decided to go take it out on the Chekov mites for what they did to Dinah. The same kind of talked was happening. I just guess okay, and then I don't have again. I can't prove this but my guess is Number one is logical because if you have Reuben and he's already confessed Ruben's the one that's responsible for everybody. We're going to pick semien because he's the second born after Ruben, right? So it makes sense to fix them. But I think there's more Just suppose. Okay. I want to emphasize suppose supposition now. Don't quote me on this the back of that encounter. When they were talking amongst one another. Hey, what's up? Let's kill him. Let's throw him in the pit. You go read the language. I wonder if the The wrappings on to something in their writings when they blame Simeon for Joseph winding up in the pit. So I think there's more going on here that Joseph is singling out Simeon for a deeper purpose. Simeon is going to have to stay back now and Joseph's going to get through this time. And then again, I'm just guessing with all this but I think there's a reason why Joseph Pick Simeon I really do leave it though. I don't know exactly why. But simeon's the one that gets bound and he has to stay back dad. There's only nine of his here ten of us left. We got to go back and get Simeon Simeon would also be really easy to leave behind when they she can understand Jacob saying Benjamin Simeon. No way no deal. Sorry Simeon. Simeon is not going to have good things prophesied about him in Genesis 49. When it comes to that passage where Jacob his Blessing his children, Jacob doesn't favor Simeon. He doesn't smile on semi and so for for them to be saying dad, you got to give us Benjamin. We got to go get Simeon Dad's going. I don't think so. Not on my watch not this time. I've already lost another one you want to take this one to he's not going. So the brothers wind up staying back as long as they can before they come back to Egypt and finally Ruben Ruben initially anything happens to him then you can kill my boys. That's pretty strong. That's what Ruben said. Jacob said no way why because Ruben had ruin his testimony prior to this. Remember how he messed up? Yeah, go read it and Ruben and Jacob. They're not on good terms. And Ruben has already ruined his testimony and Jacobs not going to let Benjamin go with him. And we're leading up to getting getting to the place in judah's life where he shines the greatest that will ever shine. Comes down to it and Jacob, they're getting hungry again. All the grains run out. They've got to go. Got to go back to Egypt to go get more food and Jacob finally gives sandinistas if it has to be this way, then Judah you can take him down take Benjamin, but he's going with you and Judith puts his neck on the line for Benjamin and he says if anything happens to him then let me guilty for the rest of my life that we've got to go get food. And Jacobs is all right take him down. So Benjamin comes back and Joseph recognizes him right away. Joseph season, He says kill the fatted calf and get everything ready. We're going to have a big Smorgasbord dinner and it's going to be and we're going all sit around the table. Will Benjamin has five times as much as the other brothers when they sit around the table. Is Joseph recognized? and favorite now it's going to continue on and there's going to be a worse mess that comes out of it. But through this I want you to notice Joseph is picking up on his brothers that God has really been working on them. All these years were talking about decades decades are catching up to them now and God has been working on them and Joseph sees clearly. They're sorry for what they did. They have they have brought forth fruit meet for repentance for you here tonight. The proof of fruits meet for repentance as they come back and work with Joseph. There's no question these boys have changed and I have had a change in their heart and changing their like they're not the same. That they were when they threw Joseph in the pit God is getting them ready and he's purging them and he's he's proving them. He's testing it why because these will become the 12 tribes of Israel. And God will raise up a nation through these men that will turn the world upside down for Jehovah. It will be come and see the glory of the Lord the Shekinah Glory.
One day we're going to be with the Lord and we're going to be glorified. We're going to be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord New Testament tells us is Christian Believers. We bought replaced is real Gods program is still for Israel and he's not finished with his real and he's going to use his real through that Great Tribulation through the the time of Jacob's trouble. He will want to use Israel to reach the ends of the Earth with a good news. The right now is the church we have that we've been grafted in. We have the responsibility to take the gospel to the ends of the Earth knowing that this whole life is a process of sanctification. But as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ things are going to come to pressure. So the Providence are going to move us to be purged memories are going to come back. Sometimes painful memories and remind us so that we don't forget from whence we were delivered.
So those might hurt but never forget what Jesus did for you when he set you free from that when you found forgiveness of sins through his blood. These men are being purged. We're in the process of sanctification. Looking forward to that glorification. When one day were with the Lord and A Thousand Years is as a day in the days is 1000 years. Sin will have no part in US whatsoever. Once we get to that place. But through through this time of sanctification, let's not turn a blind eye. Let's not live in a way that would see her our conscious what steak tender to the things that the Holy Spirit might bring to our remembrance. You know, the Bible says God is light in him is no Darkness at all. We got lights in here you getting to the light and you can see I got a nice bruise yesterday for moving stuff around. I didn't know that until I looked in the mirror today, you know, we look in the mirror of God's word and it shows us. Oh, yeah.
That's why there's pain. As we draw close to God as we drop close to the LIE you can expect that light to reveal things in your walk with God that he will bring to your memory will bring to your your your remembrance. Let that work on you to bring you to the blood of Jesus Christ once again, and don't forget 1st John 1:9 is still in the Bible for us as Christians and will always be in God's word. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He's faithful. He's just every time he will do it and it's right for him to do it. Why because Jesus Christ is our advocate. He died in our place as though he were us for us by the time you close chapter number 42. You see Jacob here. He's really in a woe-is-me moment. How many of you know the song Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so well of Jacob Jacob had his chance to rewrite that. He probably seen it like this. No one loves me this I know for 1 trials tell me so
Gibson Hall on Jacob Because you can't see what God is doing Joseph can't and he's walking by faith and not by sight. But Jacob all he sees his grief all he ceases the pain all he sees his ass or what did God use to bring about this quickening of conscience this confession of the brothers of Joseph. He use the pain. Of what they were dealing with in their conscience. the pain I've only we're going through with the salmon. God trading them along. He use Joseph's harsh boards to prick their carefully constructed defenses one person wrote. The words beginning to get through and now God uses Solitude and they were put in prison for three days straight to think about what they've done. When you get time alone ice time to think it's time to meditate and God uses Solitude physical imprisonment any set them apart from lives in such a trivial demands and gave them time to awake to his displeasure. It stinks and we think oh man, I really messed up. Sometimes Solitude can help us come to that knowledge.
In this custody one person who protested against this was aw Tozer. He was great Pastor in the city of Chicago some years ago. He expressed his concerns in a book called The Pursuit Of God you give a read that book. You should read it sometime. I don't agree with everything that tells your said and did but Pursuit Of God, that's a good devotional book. I would recommend it. He said there can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in life because it's so natural. It's rarely recognized for the evil LDS Saints just claim to us. We need to Solitude we need to get away from that sometimes and just remember and think about God. So he says it's out workings are tragic nor is it only the things that keep us from God the Frantic busy pace of Our Lives keep us from God to said Tozer God must be cultivated in her heart that takes time the idea of cultivation. This is an exercise. And so it was so dear to the Saints of old know we've got a generation that I think it's forgotten how to do. This has no place in our total religious picture. Slow motion uses we can't deal with we got to be fast paced. We we have this on demand kind of Christianity fast-flowing dramatic action generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines.
We got away from push buttons to push screens and sometimes be our or whatever. We are artificial intelligence self-driving car. And so as Christians we need to think about how this might impact our walk with God. Are we impatient? We can't let things slow cook like it needs to get a microwave everything microwave devotions.
I'll get you about as much nutrition.
And so, you know, we did our Bible read short chapter. Okay, I did it for the day go through the motions Rush on hoping to make up our our deep inward bankruptcy. Do we have a walk with God that's deeper than that? No. Okay. Well, then we'll try try to appease our conscience. I'll go to church a little more. I'll go to another gospel meeting. I'll go to this stuff. You know, that just came back from doing something great across the ocean or something in southern that again that novel sent. Hey all you need God gave you right here. You don't have to go looking somewhere else. No, you just need to take time here. To be able to spend some solitude. Maybe some confinement in the scriptures and it might take some time to where you don't just read a chapter. You actually go through a larger portion of scripture and let it saturate you and let God change you from the inside out and feed you and feel your soul Solitude is necessary for the Christian Life and growth under any circumstances to grow we must spend time with God. We have to escape from our slavery two things. We have to step aside from the busyness of everyday life and this is true for everyone in it in the spiritual state is certainly true for one cherishing some distant unconfessed sin open that God's forgotten about it. He hasn't forgotten.
God will deal with your soul and he'll deal with your soul with gentleness with Grace with forbearance. Just like Joseph dealt with his brothers. There's an old hymn that goes like this.
Speak Lord in the Stillness while I wait on the crushed my heart to live in expectancy. Is that Stillness that solitude? That's where you'll find. At the still Small Voice in the conscience just might bring something back through the holy spirit that has put that barrier between you and God.
That's where you would deal with it. That's where you'll put it under the blood. And that's where God will open the floodgates and Rain his grace upon your soul once again with refreshment and renewal might get back to a little bit more of normal in your Christian Life and by that I mean on fire for God.