God is holding the PEN (genesis 45.1-11)
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God is holding the PEN
God is holding the PEN
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.
So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.
You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’
Intro:
It’s not the realization of human experience alone that brings wholeness to our life....
It’s instead the manifestation of what God has promised to us....
It’s watching life play out over and over again......
......and knowing that based on the journey alone we never should have made it.
But......
.......the promise of God is so faithful to accomplish what God said
.....that the journey doesn’t stand a chance!
(pause)
And anytime God is writing our story.......
.......it only makes sense at first in a dream!
(pause)
It’s too big for REALITY when it first becomes a thought in our little minds
.....
…and that’s why God has to show us what God wants to do in our lives in a context that is not limited to our human inadequacies....
(pause)
But then something phenomenal takes place......
.....because after we have accepted the DREAM
God turns around and proves that MISTAKES in our realities.......
Don’t have enough POWER to mess up the MASTERPIECE!
(pause)
And what we are getting ready to see in this text today through Joseph.....
....is that Life may get chaotic
.....Life may even turn upside down
(slight pause)
But.....
.......an upside down, chaotic life
......still can’t stop what God is intending to do!
(pause and expound)
Look at it now...
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Joseph has been listening to his brother Judah give an explanation as to their past experiences.......
(slight pause)
And not only that....
......but the brothers have passed the test of bringing their baby brother Benjamin safely to him....
And.....
....the reason for the test that Joseph put them through
....was to see if they were going to treat Benjamin the way that the did him.
(pause and optional expound)
Because in my spiritual imagination......
Joseph has had enough human experiences with his brothers to know who they have been.....
But now.......
He wants to know......
“Have they changed?”
(pause)
And if you go back and read previous chapters.....
......you will find that they did not treat Benjamin the way they treated Joseph
......even though Benjamin is also the son of Rachel as Joseph.
(pause)
And so according to the text......
Joseph has been holding it in for as long as he could hold himself together emotionally.....
(pause)
But the text says in verse 2.....
....that after he sends out everyboy but his brothers in verse 1
“He breaks down and cries”
(pause)
And.....
....one of the reasons that Joseph sends everyone out of the room but his brothers
.....is not because he does not want them to see him crying
(slight pause)
But the reason that he sends them out.......
is because they have no way of understanding why he is crying.
(pause)
See....
......they only know the Joseph who is serving as ruler second in command to Pharaoh.
(slight pause)
But.......
........they haven’t the slightest idea of how he got there!
(pause and expound on - journeys that people don’t know)
And.....
.......they have no idea of the family conflict between Joseph and his brothers.
........they don’t know what’s standing in the history of the relationships that are in this room.
(pause and expound)
And sometimes Freedom.....
.....we have to come to the realiation that
.........everybody just aint going to understand why you’re crying!
(Longer pause and optional expound)
Notice the text says....
.....that Joseph is crying so uncontrollably that everybody in the Palace heard him!
(pause)
And Freedom......
......sometimes a GOOD CRY needs to be heard!
(pause)
And I know that I probably lost all kind of cool points with my brothers who are watching this..........
.......but if you can’t lose it with your brothers
.......who can you really keep it real with?
(pause)
And for Joseph.........
He’s gone from the Pit
.....all the way to the Palace
(pause)
His life.......has matriculated through one chaos to the next!
(slight pause)
Conflict......
Lies.......
Abandonment.......
Jealousy.......
(pause)
And if Joseph allows what his brothers intended to consume him......
.......he never moves on in his journey
.....and the same tears he cries uncontrollably are no longer his release
.......but just his reminder
But.....
.......once Joseph properly positions human intentions in relation to Divine intentions
....His tears are no longer just a reminder........but now he can release that baggage!
(pause)
Because.....
......that was just part of his JOURNEY!
(pause)
Look at it.....
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Joseph says.....
“I am Joseph”
Note: He says this in his brothers language.......for the first time.
.....so none of the Egyptians would understand what he was saying to his brothers.
(pause)
Freedom......
Here’s what I need you to see...
Key Statement:
“You can change the atmosphere of a room with how you communicate!”
(pause)
Because......
.....when I know you know ho to talk in my language.....I listen differently!
(pause)
And.......
.........there is something intimate that creates a different connection.
Barrel:
If you’ve ever been in a room with two or more people from another country....
......you know what it feels like when you almost disappear while they’re talking
....because they have a connection that you and I don’t have.
(pause)
But......
.......the one thing you can always guarantee about a REAL CONNECTIOn
....is that once we start talking the same language
There is always a SERIOUS CONVERSATION that takes place!
(pause)
Because.....
.......it’s not in our nature to waste an intimate setting when there is a real connection
(pause)
And according to the text.....
Joseph says,
“Is my father still alive?”
(pause)
Notice that back in Genesis 43.27 he asked his brothers,
“Is your father well?”
But now this is different....
Because now......
.......you know who I am
(pause)
And when God begins to manifest who God is.......
.....and who you are in God
You don’t have NOTHING to lose.......
(pause)
And so Joseph asks........
“How’s my daddy doing?”
(pause)
And the text says.....
“But his brothers could not awnser him”
(pause)
Because.....
....andytime somebody asks a REAL question in a REAL space
Folk either get Scared.....or they get BOLD
(pause and expound)
Watch this.....
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
According to the text Joseph says.....
“Come closer to me”
(pause)
In other words.....
“Calm down.....and come over here by me”
(pause)
And then what he says next....
Proves that nothing can bring clarity to a situation like complete honesty
Because Joseph says.....
“I am your brother Joseph.....whom you sold into Egypt”
In other words.....
Joseph is explaining to them the secret that only they knew......
And they knew that nobody else knew.......
.....but the brother they thought they got rid of
(pause)
And.......
.......you would think that with all of these negative Human experiences and intentions being discussed
.....that old stuff would get stirred up and ruin everything
Because.....
......it’s nothing worst than having to bring up what you tried to forget.....
(pause)
But.....
look at what happens in verse 5
And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Joseph says....
“Yes........you sold me into Egypt”
“And Yes........you are responsible for my human experiences”
(pause)
But Joseph says......
“There’s one major thing.............
........that I need you to understand”
(pause)
Even though.......
I have gone through all of this in my journey
Your part that you played...........
.......was written in!
(pause and expound)
And I hear Joseph in my spiritual imagination saying,
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.......
Because......
God wrote out your part in my life!”
(pause)
And sometimes.....
We need to let our Human experiences know that.......
.....they didn’t write their own part!
“God is holding the PEN!”
(pause)
And Joseph says to his brothers......
“God sent me ahead of you to preserve your life!”
(pause and expound)
Watch this.......
Even though the brothers of Joseph were trying to get rid of him......
Because their was a PROMISE attached to Joseph’s life......
(pause)
When they threw him in the PIT..........
.....they moved him
.......but they did not control him
(pause)
And that’s what God wanted me to tell you this morning FREEDOM......
There are all kinds of experiences that we go through on this journey
But........
.......because God is holding the PEN!”
When we think we are being thrown backwards.......
(slight pause)
God says.......
No........
........that AINT what I WROTE!!!!
(pause)
And because I’m holding the PEN......
Everything that tried to STOP you
Everything that tried to KILL you
Everything that tried to throw you OFF TRACK
(pause)
God says......
Because I’m holding the PEN......
“I USED it to PUSH you AHEAD!”
(pause)
And so.....
.....everytime something MANIPULATED your life
......The PROMISE I wrote in PEN stepped UP!
The Promise says.......
Your Name shall be great!
You’re the head and not the tail!
I will prosper you!
You will be the Father of many nations
(pause)
And Freedom.......
....in my spiritual imagination I heard God saying
“I aint done yet!”
......and I got the PEN!
And maybe that’s why David said,
“I have been young and now I’m old......
.......and I have never seen the Righteous forsaken
…nor his SEED begging for bread!
(pause)
Because he understood......
God is holding the Pen!
......................................CLOSE and CONCLUSION....................