The Beauty of Reconciliation

Genesis 45:1–15 NASB95

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. “Now do not be grieved 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 still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household 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 live in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. “There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.” ’ “Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.

INTRO: How many of you have ever had a relationship go south? Perhaps you had a friend or close family member that you love and trusted who betrayed you or abandoned you? Maybe you were wronged in a major way…

The reality is that most of us who experience this kind of hurt, struggle to fully heal from these wounds.

We’ve been looking at Joseph’s life here over the past few weeks and I think we could all agree that there was some definite hurt in his relationship with his brothers… if you remember, they sold him into slavery!

Now, I don’t think that’s happened to any of you here this morning, but on some level, I think we can relate to the feelings of betrayal, the hurt, and the bitterness that Joseph would have felt as he considered his brothers.

Actually, we could all probably relate to Joseph’s brothers too- Have you ever treated someone harshly? Have you damaged a relationship because of your pride or other sin?

When we left off last week, we saw Joseph rejoicing in how God re-wrote his story. Once a slave, now he was second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. He had married and had 2 boys, whom were named according to the goodness of God who brought him from the pit to the palace.

In the ensuing chapters, the famine that Joseph warned about according to Pharaoh’s dream came to be. This famine stretched to the land of Canaan, Joseph’s childhood home. Soon enough, Israel, Joseph’s father, sent his sons to Egypt to purchase food.

Now, we didn’t read those chapters this morning, but the brothers came and bowed before Joseph, not knowing who he really was.

As you can imagine, this kindled a number of emotions in Joseph- the wounds of the past, the character that his brothers displayed by selling him as a slave. Yet, the text tells us that Joseph remembered his dream, where the grain had bowed before him. (42:9)

Here Joseph was endowed with incredible power and those who wounded him were at his mercy. He could have treated them harshly- really made them pay for what they had done to him. But instead- through a series of questions and what might even seem like trickery, Joseph tested them. Were they willing to be just as ruthless toward one another as they had been toward him? How could he respond in wisdom?

Long story short, as we come to chapter 45, we see that the hearts of Joseph’s brothers had been changed. Joseph recognized this and in the verses following, we see a reconciliation that up until this moment, seemed unlikely. In fact, I think that they all had given up any hope of seeing one another. Joseph didn’t send them a postcard, and they never came looking for him.

But here we are. So, if you picked up a bulletin, you can follow along this morning in your sermon guide, and can dig in deeper this week by walking through the provided discussion questions. Let’s join together as we explore the ‘Beauty of Reconciliation: 3 Results of Reconciled Hearts.

The first truth we see is that

Reconciliation Redefines the Present (1-4)

Many of you would agree that Joseph had every right to be bitter towards his brothers. After all, what they did was absolutely sinful- no doubt about it.

Now, we look at the brothers, and we need to note that they had not forgotten their sin. It had been close to 20 years since they sold Joseph to the slave traders. But, time had not eased the guilt and shame of their wrongdoing. In Gen. 42:21-22, you can see that they were still carrying the burden of their crime. And, Judah, the ring-leader of that heinous act, actually offered himself in place of Benjamin (44:33) when it was determined that he had stolen from the palace. No doubt, the scenario that Joseph fabricated for them revealed that Judah and the others were determined not to betray their loved ones again.

These men didn’t want to be what they knew they were. They did not want their sin to define them.

And, what we see in Joseph’s life is that he has set aside that identity as a victim. Granted, things had been tough, and all those years of being imprisoned and enslaved were the result of his brothers’ actions. Yet, Joseph did not define his life by their actions any longer.

I want you to see this, when Joseph saw his brothers and heard their heart, he was not consumed with rage and vindication, but rather he was overwhelmed by mercy and love. The text tells (2) us that he wept so loud that the people next door heard him!

Here, Joseph revealed that he was not simply an Egyptian ruler, but in fact was their brother. He is saying “Guys, I am here- I am for you! I am not a slave nor am I dead as you may have presumed, but I am alive and we are family.” In other words, “I do not disown you nor am I a victim of your deeds.””

Joseph had a new identity, and sought to extend a new identity to his brothers as well. We are not enemies.

That is what reconciliation does. It changes the present.

Now, this is true in our relationships with others- family, friends, church members. Look, when we realize that we are not defined by our offenses (both against us and towards others), we have a whole new freedom and identity.

Perhaps the clearest picture we see of this truth is within the Gospel itself. After all, the message of Jesus is reconciliation with God. In Christ, we are no longer defined by our sins and failure, but instead are defined by Christ’s righteousness! We can live in the present with freedom and joy because we are a new creation.

Reconciliation redefines the present. Further, we see that

Discuss: Are you allowing your offenses to define you? Do you live as a victim? How can you seek reconciliation?

Reconciliation Redeems the Past (5-8)

Look with me to verses 5-8 (READ).

Joseph released his brothers from the guilt and shame of their past actions and tells them another story. Let me point out 2 things here:

Joseph does not pretend the past didn’t happen. Even though they committed an evil act, it was ‘water under the bridge’.

It didn’t matter anymore. Joseph was not hung up on it and did not want them to be either. When he offered forgiveness, it was not begrudgingly or temporary. He meant it!

ILL: This is unlike what you probably are used to seeing- you know, where someone says the words, but they are still holding that grudge… still gritting their teeth, avoiding their offender in the Walmarts, etc. Don’t poke each other!

Joseph models true forgiveness. Actually, in Gen 50, after their father dies, Joseph’s brothers worry that he will exact vengeance upon them at that point, but Joseph reassures them, echoing what we see next, that “What you meant for evil, God used for good”

This leads us to the second part, which is that the story of life is bigger than their mistakes/ failures.

Joseph said, “GOD sent me...” 3 times, he says this.

Joseph recognized God’s sovereignty and pointed his brothers to the bigger picture of what was going on. God used all that junk to put Joseph in a place where he could be used to rescue a whole nation. Imagine if they had not sold Joseph into slavery- what faithful man of God was in Egypt to speak truth?

Now, you may not be placed in the seat to rescue America… although, I’m praying that happens! But I hope that you can see the bigger picture this morning.

If you are like Joseph- you’ve been wronged, slighted, etc. - I hope that you are able to see how God uses your past to shape you and position you for His purposes. Even the sufferings brought on by other people do not fall beyond God’s control.

Again, I point you to the work of the Gospel in our lives. My past- the sins and failures - all serve a purpose. The big picture shows me that I have learned how to appreciate the relationships in my life, even though I have wounded others before in my selfishness and insensitivity. The bigger picture shows me that the sins of others on me have taught me and conditioned me and helped to make me the man I am today.

God has taken my past and your past and has redeemed it- given it a new cause. You are not the sum of your failures nor is your identity defined by your wounds, but rather you are uniquely shaped to serve God’s kingdom because of your past. Like Joseph and like his family, our past serves a new purpose in God’s kingdom.

For some of you, you have experienced things that help you empathize with people who are deeply wounded and searching for hope. Others of you have lived a life that is marred with sin and God wants to use you to share how forgiveness really works- that your sins are cast as far as the east is from the west. That the blood of Jesus is sufficient and the reconciliation that you have in Christ is evidence of God’s redemption of an unworthy wretch like me.

Discuss: How has God redeemed your past? In what ways does the bigger picture change how you see your past sins/ failures?

Reconciliation redefines your present and redeems your past. Finally, we see that

Reconciliation Rescues the Future (9-15)

For Joseph’s family this is both literal and relational.

Literally, the reconciliation of this relationship provided the resources for Joseph’s family to live during an otherwise unlivable time.

Relationally, this family is restored, relationships are renewed. In fact, for Israel, this was a revival of his countenance. If you remember, he was so very grieved over the loss of Joseph that he refused to be comforted and even confessed that he would go to his grave in grief. But now, there was a freshness to life!

Joseph not only forgave his brothers, but he blessed them so that they could live out the rest of their lives in his provision and favor.

Think about the future generations- Joseph’s sons would now have cousins to grow up with, a grandfather to tell them stories and to love them. Joseph’s brothers would leave a legacy of restoration instead of one marked with betrayal.

When we are reconciled to one another, the future is rescued for us too. We can model for our kids and grandkids what it means to be selfless and to pursue God’s plans for us.

ILL: I have heard too many stories where families are divided because they have hardened their hearts toward one another. . I have seen grandparents weep because they have not even met their grandkids. I have seen too many people leave the church because someone offended them or wronged them. I’ve seen people turn away from God because a church member gossiped about them. But when we reconcile, we can impact generations of people to come.

Again, this is demonstrated in the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our future- both on this earth and in eternity is rescued because of our reconciliation with the God of Creation. If you have placed your hope and faith in Jesus, your future has been rescued- Once destined for misery and dissatisfaction on earth and torment in eternity, you and I have joy in this life and forever. We are set apart, and given assurance of our adoption into God’s family.

The story of Joseph ends with a picture of reconciliation that foreshadows the ultimate reconciliation of man and God. Because Jesus reconciled us, we have a new identity in the present. Here and now, we are new creations in Christ. Our past has been redeemed as we are shaped to serve in God’s Kingdom. And our future is rescued, with the eternal hope of heaven.

Discuss: Where in your life is reconciliation needed to rescue your future? (Family? Church? God?)

Now, before we close I want to address a few of you in particular: - I know that some of you have been hurt in some major ways- physically abused or sexually assaulted. To you, I want to acknowledge that you likely will not be rebuilding that relationship. I’m not asking you to pretend that wound is not real. Instead, I want to encourage you to trust Jesus with your hurt. You can forgive because you are forgiven…remember Joseph had already forgiven before he saw his brothers.

Your scars do not define you- In Christ, you are a child of the King! Your past, though painful, has been redeemed by God. He has uniquely equipped you to share true hope and healing with others who have experienced the sinful expressions of an abuser. And your future in Christ is one where you are free of sin and the effects of sin. Scripture tells us that He will wipe away EVERY tear from your eyes.

You might be thinking, Pastor, I can’t do that. I can’t move past this pain. Friend, in Christ you can.

This morning I want to invite you to experience the healing and freedom of the Gospel.

Acts 3:19 NASB95

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Pray