WEBVTT 00:00:00.340 --> 00:00:01.940 I'm going to invite you to Genesis. 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:04.470 Chapter 42 is where we're going to be together today. 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:10.560 Genesis chapter 42, in a messy passage of the Bible. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:17.900 and the reason this passage is messy is not to say, really, all of Genesis has been messy up to this point, any time that human beings 00:00:17.900 --> 00:00:18.600 have been involved. 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:18.860 Right. 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:20.340 When the Lord's involved, it's beautiful. 00:00:20.580 --> 00:00:21.300 Get people involved. 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:21.920 It gets messy. 00:00:22.520 --> 00:00:29.600 And Genesis 42 is definitely, does not sell us short in that as you read this chapter, you come to discover here we are 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:33.820 at a place where Joseph, his life is intersecting again with his brothers. 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:41.020 If you remember chapter 37, when he was 17 years old, his brothers hated him to the point they sold him in slavery to Ishmaelites. 00:00:41.440 --> 00:00:43.290 Over 20 years have passed. 00:00:43.580 --> 00:00:47.060 Joseph has found himself at one point as a slave, another point in prison. 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:53.480 He's now risen to the second in command in Egypt, and his brothers have no idea this has happened to him. 00:00:53.480 --> 00:00:58.860 But 20 plus years later, now he has found his life, crossing paths with his brothers. 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.240 And the question is, what does he do with that? 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:06.740 And in chapter 42, today, we're going to be talking about reconciling broken relationships. 00:01:07.660 --> 00:01:09.640 How does one reconcile broken relationships? 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:12.700 As we look at the example of Joseph? 00:01:13.320 --> 00:01:20.340 And, when I when I come to a passage like this, I realize as people we're going to glean some information from his story. 00:01:20.940 --> 00:01:28.280 but as we look at his story, we I come to realize that in our lives we have a gamut of experiences 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:35.680 in our relationship and oftentimes a lot of pain in our past from how certain relationships have gone and 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.240 learning how to navigate that well as God's people is important for us. 00:01:39.300 --> 00:01:40.770 And it's messy. 00:01:41.580 --> 00:01:48.500 And the reason that it's messy is because, no situation is exactly the same, right? 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:56.740 And it involves relationship and emotion, and it just hits us at places in life where in 00:01:56.740 --> 00:02:03.940 order to learn how to model the Christ in the struggle of relationships, there needs to be a good orientation to who we are 00:02:03.940 --> 00:02:08.979 in light of who God is and what that means to appropriately live that out in a healthy way. 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:17.480 And the reason we are called to do this as believers is because of what Christ has done for us, right? 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:22.840 We find in Scripture very clearly we are a forgiven people in the Lord. 00:02:22.880 --> 00:02:24.750 So those who know Christ you are forgiven people. 00:02:25.080 --> 00:02:28.420 And in and being forgiven by Christ, you've been reconciled to him. 00:02:29.140 --> 00:02:36.220 And because we've been a forgiven people, the Bible calls us to be a forgiving people and open leave, open the 00:02:36.220 --> 00:02:39.390 door of reconciliation to relationships in this world. 00:02:39.720 --> 00:02:47.600 Now, not all relationships are always reconciled, because it takes two people in agreement to experience that reconciliation. 00:02:47.820 --> 00:02:52.770 But because we are a forgiven people, God calls us to be a forgiving people. 00:02:53.260 --> 00:02:57.760 In fact, you find that theme throughout the Bible, multiple verses in your notes today. 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:05.240 I've listed some of those, if you if you grabbed a page of notes at the very bottom, some of those passages that are paramount to the Christian life, 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:12.400 like Colossians 313, Ephesians 432, James chapter five, verse 16, Hebrews chapter ten, verses 25 to 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:14.500 26, and how we live the Christian life. 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:16.660 God's God's got a certain call for us. 00:03:16.660 --> 00:03:19.010 And being a forgiven people to be a forgiving people. 00:03:20.020 --> 00:03:24.170 But with that, there also is this understanding that it does come at a sacrifice. 00:03:25.440 --> 00:03:25.560 Right? 00:03:25.660 --> 00:03:32.220 We and being a forgiving people and understanding the grace of God as God has sacrificed himself, that we could be free in him. 00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:34.740 So he calls us to model that in this world. 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:42.680 And so we as God's people should model that better than than anyone, because we know what it is to be forgiven, and therefore 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:49.690 because he paid a price for our lives and we have the opportunity to emulate that and how we walk in this world. 00:03:50.020 --> 00:03:51.430 But it comes at a cost. 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:54.540 There is certainly a cost to that. 00:03:54.640 --> 00:04:00.710 And there are important ways, I think, that are crucial for us to discuss and how we do it in a healthy means. 00:04:01.740 --> 00:04:08.790 But when I think about what it looks like for us today to be a forgiving people and to leave the door open for reconciliation, 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:13.320 probably one of the best modern day examples I can think of is a lady by the name of Corrie ten boom. 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:19.430 If you're familiar with Corrie ten Boom story she was in, she was a young lady from the Netherlands. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:25.680 Her family was a part of rescuing Jews out of out of Germany, trying to get them to safety. 00:04:26.140 --> 00:04:33.280 Eventually their family was discovered and Corrie Ten boom and her sister Betsie were thrown into a concentration camp 00:04:33.280 --> 00:04:34.620 known as Ravensbrück. 00:04:35.060 --> 00:04:42.160 It's on the east side of Germany, close to Poland, and when she was thrown into that concentration camp, that is 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:43.480 actually where her sister died. 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:49.280 Corrie ten boom obviously survived the concentration camp and she went on to lead an incredible ministry. 00:04:50.440 --> 00:04:57.560 she not only cared for people that came out of the concentration camp to discover their identity in the Lord or and to find 00:04:57.560 --> 00:04:59.880 their worth and value having been treated so. 00:05:00.380 --> 00:05:03.040 Inhumanely and who they were in light of who God was. 00:05:03.260 --> 00:05:09.820 And she definitely preached a message of reconciliation, of healing for a world that had been split in two by World War Two. 00:05:09.960 --> 00:05:17.000 But what was most surprising about Corrie ten boom is she had a particular ministry, to the to the Nazi soldiers 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:19.490 that were even a part of those concentration camps. 00:05:20.700 --> 00:05:27.720 And two years after the war had ended, Corrie Ten boom had traveled to Germany to preach 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:30.470 a message, to share a message with the people. 00:05:30.620 --> 00:05:36.220 And she talked about God's forgiveness and knowing that people had done many things that they had regretted. 00:05:36.280 --> 00:05:39.660 She talked about God's forgiveness, and she compared it to the idea of the ocean. 00:05:39.700 --> 00:05:41.370 She said, God's forgiveness is like this. 00:05:41.580 --> 00:05:48.780 He takes your sin and he throws it into the deepest ocean, and he hangs a sign up that says, no fishing. 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:53.620 And, I think it's a beautiful image that she creates for us. 00:05:53.620 --> 00:06:00.900 And in sharing that, and I think it's important not only for God's people to know that about the Lord, that he casts our sin as far as the East, from the West, but 00:06:00.900 --> 00:06:02.920 we also experientially walk in it. 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:08.320 It's one thing to know it, but it's another thing to embrace it and to let that be a marker of your life. 00:06:08.880 --> 00:06:15.960 I find so often in the life of Christians that we get into the business of bringing up the past, when Jesus has already 00:06:15.960 --> 00:06:17.410 paid for it in full. 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:22.170 And so Corrie ten boom, she would go around sharing that message of grace that message of forgiveness. 00:06:22.460 --> 00:06:28.080 But two years after the war, she wrote about a particular story in her book, The Tramp for the Lord. 00:06:28.140 --> 00:06:34.860 She talks about how she traveled the world in this book and the messages she had opportunity to share and the healing she sees in the lives of people. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:42.440 But she shares one particular story in this book where as she's sharing this message two years after the war in Germany, after when she's done, 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:46.880 she sees a man get up from the back and start to make his way forward, and she instantly recognized him. 00:06:48.380 --> 00:06:49.560 She knew who he was. 00:06:49.640 --> 00:06:50.000 He was. 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:54.520 He was a soldier from the very concentration camp where she was held. 00:06:56.520 --> 00:06:57.720 The camp where her sister died. 00:06:58.840 --> 00:07:04.530 In fact, she remembered him as not a very kind soldier, and she remembers, as they were treated inhumanely. 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:12.680 There were times where she and her sister had to pass by him in the nude, just completely exposed and being ill treated. 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.620 And this man, at the end of her message, he is making his way up to her. 00:07:16.640 --> 00:07:19.580 And she says in the book that it was as if time froze. 00:07:20.620 --> 00:07:23.200 And she went back to those moments in that concentration camp. 00:07:23.260 --> 00:07:28.780 And as she saw that man walking to him, she pictured him coming to him in that same Nazi attire. 00:07:30.040 --> 00:07:36.740 And the man got up before her and he said to her, I after the war, I want you to know, I became a Christian. 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:39.760 And I know God forgives me. 00:07:42.320 --> 00:07:43.700 But I want to know that you forgive me. 00:07:45.700 --> 00:07:48.010 And Corey said in those moments she froze. 00:07:48.140 --> 00:07:49.800 And for that man, it must have felt like seconds. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:51.150 But for her it felt like a lifetime. 00:07:53.340 --> 00:07:59.160 And stirring within her was the thought of do I surrender to what God says? 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:01.930 Or do I act in my emotions? 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:07.700 And she remarks in that moment that she recognized forgiveness always begins as a decision of the will. 00:08:09.220 --> 00:08:16.460 And she said, and turning to the Lord, trusting in him, she extended her hand, and at the top of her lungs she just said, I forgive 00:08:16.460 --> 00:08:16.840 you. 00:08:18.020 --> 00:08:19.280 And she embraced that man. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.000 And she said, in those moments the flood of God's love overcame her. 00:08:26.140 --> 00:08:33.440 When we think about what it is to model forgiveness in this world, it is it is messy and 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:36.220 it comes at a sacrifice. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:45.000 And here in the book of Genesis, chapter 42, we're reading about Joseph interacting with his brothers after 20 years. 00:08:45.880 --> 00:08:48.440 And those 20 years have not been necessarily kind to him. 00:08:49.440 --> 00:08:53.040 If you remember, at 17 years old, he was sold into slavery. 00:08:53.160 --> 00:09:00.560 He was taken as a young man into a foreign land, in a place he probably didn't know the language, and he was he 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:07.000 was bought on the slave market, and then he was falsely accused of doing something wrong that he did not do and thrown into prison. 00:09:07.300 --> 00:09:09.380 And there he sat for over 13 years. 00:09:10.140 --> 00:09:17.320 It wasn't until God's miraculous hand got him out of prison that he rose to the position that he is today, but time had not 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:19.530 been kind to him in that sense. 00:09:20.260 --> 00:09:21.260 But God was always faithful. 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:29.460 So when it comes to reconciling broken relationships, point number one is we look at as we look at Joseph's story, I want us to recognize 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:29.760 this. 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:34.020 We can deal with our past in unhealthy ways. 00:09:34.460 --> 00:09:41.840 We obviously don't want to do that, but I think this is important for us to just be honest with us, people that we can deal with our past 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:43.250 in unhealthy ways. 00:09:43.560 --> 00:09:46.160 And there's a couple of angles that we can talk about. 00:09:46.260 --> 00:09:53.460 This is one from Joseph's, from Joseph's standpoint or from his brother's standpoint, but even personally with us, when we talk, when we talk about the idea of forgiveness and 00:09:53.460 --> 00:10:00.540 discovering forgiveness, I think it's important to know when we have done things wrong in our lives, that to not bring it 00:10:00.540 --> 00:10:03.640 to the light, it becomes difficult for the soul. 00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:06.530 In fact, in Psalm chapter 32, verse three, it says this. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:13.900 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long, that we 00:10:13.900 --> 00:10:17.400 know that we've done something wrong. 00:10:17.420 --> 00:10:18.560 We've wronged another person. 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:20.800 We've created some sort of harm. 00:10:20.800 --> 00:10:24.380 Learning how to deal with forgiveness becomes important to us. 00:10:24.400 --> 00:10:27.980 And learning what God's heart is towards those who sin like that. 00:10:28.020 --> 00:10:30.950 God doesn't give up on you, that God pursues you even while you were sinners. 00:10:31.140 --> 00:10:37.180 In Romans five eight, God demonstrates his love towards you, that you don't do something to make God love you. 00:10:37.180 --> 00:10:42.160 That God, in and of himself is a loving being, and that's why he gives himself away for your benefit. 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:49.460 He knows apart from him you have no hope, which is what makes the idea of him being a savior so incredible because he is the only 00:10:49.460 --> 00:10:51.480 way, the only truth, the only life. 00:10:51.560 --> 00:10:58.720 And in John 14 verse six, and so coming to him for that rescue becomes important, understanding that when we bring it to the light, 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:05.820 what we discover in Christ, that forgiveness and grace, because we can often deal with our past in unhealthy ways. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:14.260 But on the other side of that, if we've been offended in Romans chapter 12 verse 17, it says, do not repay anyone evil for evil, but be 00:11:14.260 --> 00:11:16.590 careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.020 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you. 00:11:19.160 --> 00:11:22.740 Live at peace with everyone and this passage encourages us. 00:11:22.740 --> 00:11:28.810 It goes on and says, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord, meaning that God doesn't want to take you, to put it on your shoulders. 00:11:29.000 --> 00:11:32.200 Your responsibility to make make sure vengeance is paid out. 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:33.280 Brother. 00:11:33.280 --> 00:11:36.030 Understand and trust in who he is and what he desires to accomplish. 00:11:36.780 --> 00:11:43.360 And in this verse he's saying to you, look, you can't determine the way other people respond and react when it comes to the idea of reconciliation. 00:11:43.920 --> 00:11:48.660 It takes two people, which is why it's important for you to leave the door of opportunity, of reconciliation open. 00:11:49.020 --> 00:11:53.020 Much like the prodigal son in Luke 15. 00:11:53.020 --> 00:11:56.840 If you remember the story, the prodigal father, really he loved his son. 00:11:56.840 --> 00:12:04.130 He cared for his son, but his son was wayward and the prodigal son wanted the prodigal father wanted his prodigal son to experience restoration, 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:05.730 to find forgiveness. 00:12:05.880 --> 00:12:10.380 And so the father always left the door of reconciliation open to the possibility of what God could do. 00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:18.280 But you know, when it comes to finding that in the Lord, it requires this repentant heart that the 00:12:18.280 --> 00:12:19.730 father all day long could be forgiving. 00:12:21.040 --> 00:12:23.440 But it wasn't until the son stepped into it that he found forgiveness. 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:31.320 And when you read Romans chapter 12, it's reminding this us of this that we can't control what other people do. 00:12:31.880 --> 00:12:34.300 But you can choose to control how you respond. 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:41.520 There's a decision of the will and learning that what God wants to accomplish can is far greater than what we can do in and 00:12:41.520 --> 00:12:42.250 of ourselves. 00:12:42.540 --> 00:12:49.600 And so when it when it comes to, understanding the reconciliation of relationships, we can easily deal with 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:52.770 our past and unhealthy ways we can justify our behavior. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:56.540 Romans 12 is encouraging us against this because, well, they did that. 00:12:56.540 --> 00:12:58.120 Therefore, I can act this way. 00:12:58.740 --> 00:12:59.650 But when you read through. 00:13:00.280 --> 00:13:01.660 Through passages of the Bible. 00:13:01.660 --> 00:13:08.740 You understand that throughout Scripture reminded again and again the value of God's people being a forgiven people because it models 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:15.940 what Christ has done for you, but because it's repeated over and over again in Scripture, it also declares to you how difficult 00:13:15.940 --> 00:13:17.560 it can be. 00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:25.300 The idea of sacrifice, rendering yourselves for what God wants to accomplish in your life. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:33.820 But when God's people understand who they are in light of him, we become powerful vessels and tools in his 00:13:33.820 --> 00:13:34.720 hands. 00:13:35.020 --> 00:13:37.210 That's why we say as a church very easily we. 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:41.650 We exist for the purpose, to give ourselves away for the glory of God to the benefit of others. 00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:48.880 That kind of idea involves a true identity discovered in the Lord, and therefore sacrifice to achieving that purpose and him for which he has created us 00:13:48.880 --> 00:13:51.180 and recreated us in himself. 00:13:53.020 --> 00:13:54.000 the Bible. 00:13:54.740 --> 00:14:00.060 giving you just some, some powerful examples like, Matthew chapter six. 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:02.780 Jesus gives us the Lord's Prayer. 00:14:03.380 --> 00:14:04.560 pray this way. 00:14:04.560 --> 00:14:06.420 Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:09.060 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:14:09.460 --> 00:14:16.460 You know, as Jesus concludes that prayer in Matthew chapter six, right after that verse 14, Jesus tells us that we are to 00:14:16.460 --> 00:14:18.920 forgive one another, or your father in heaven will not forgive you. 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:28.040 That to not be that kind of people is hypocrisy to the very identity that we claim in Christ or in Matthew 00:14:28.040 --> 00:14:35.140 chapter 18 and verse 15, it starts talking to you about if a brother in the Lord sins against you, how you approach 00:14:35.140 --> 00:14:36.320 that with them. 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:41.820 And then right after Jesus shares that story, Peter comes to Jesus and asks in verse 22, well, how many times should we forgive someone? 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:49.020 And Jesus says, 70 times seven, meaning really, no one's going to count that long that you should just the state of your being 00:14:49.020 --> 00:14:51.580 as a follower of Christ should be forgiving. 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:56.640 Now, in saying all that, I realize it's not always easy. 00:14:59.140 --> 00:15:00.220 And it's important for us to learn. 00:15:00.380 --> 00:15:01.030 How do we do that? 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:02.060 Wisely? 00:15:03.700 --> 00:15:10.740 And here in this passage and in Genesis chapter 42, verse one, we see how Joseph's brothers engaged 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:14.100 their past in and their conflict and in unhealthy ways. 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:14.460 Look at this. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:21.280 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, why do you look at one another? 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:24.540 And he said, behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. 00:15:24.940 --> 00:15:28.720 Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die. 00:15:28.920 --> 00:15:32.490 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:38.530 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to them. 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:40.200 here's what's interesting. 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:47.390 Because of the lack of forgiveness that they have discovered, their lack of bringing to the light the brokenness of which they've done. 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:49.500 Joseph's sons or. 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:56.090 Excuse me, Joseph's brothers, Jacob's sons have become, really stuck with where they are in life. 00:15:56.800 --> 00:16:02.610 You see it really playing out in verse one where Joseph's saying to his sons, why are you guys just sitting here? 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:04.020 I know there's food in Egypt. 00:16:04.400 --> 00:16:05.550 You know there's food in Egypt. 00:16:05.800 --> 00:16:07.230 Why in the world are you not going to Egypt? 00:16:07.500 --> 00:16:08.240 Do I need to tell you? 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:08.760 You need to go to Egypt. 00:16:09.040 --> 00:16:10.330 I mean, that's what he's saying in this passage. 00:16:10.420 --> 00:16:14.760 He's looking at his son, saying, you're just twiddling your thumbs while we're all dwindling away here and dying. 00:16:14.760 --> 00:16:16.360 You should be doing something about this. 00:16:16.420 --> 00:16:17.280 You need to go to Egypt. 00:16:17.900 --> 00:16:21.290 And so we can look at this verse and ask the question, why in the world are they not going to Egypt? 00:16:21.400 --> 00:16:28.440 And as you read the story, you start to discover when you get down to verse 21, verse 22, you find out really why the brothers are reluctant to go 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:28.970 to Egypt. 00:16:29.460 --> 00:16:36.180 And the reason is because they know years ago they sold their brother to Ishmaelite slaves. 00:16:36.300 --> 00:16:39.640 And the Ishmael or excuse me, Ishmaelites into sold his brother into slavery. 00:16:39.880 --> 00:16:46.920 And the Ishmaelites were traveling to Egypt, and they know if they were to go on that same journey to Egypt, that 00:16:46.920 --> 00:16:48.670 their past could catch up to them. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:54.560 And so because of their because of their sin, they have become prisoner to their past. 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:59.670 And not only that, they're unable to move forward in the Lord. 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:04.460 They're prisoner to what's happened in their past. 00:17:04.500 --> 00:17:05.480 They could not let go of it. 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:06.560 They wrestled it with their lives. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:13.280 And because of that, they're they they're now unable to step into the promises of what God might want to do moving forward. 00:17:14.520 --> 00:17:21.700 And the same is true for us that when we, as Corrie Ten Boom said, we don't believe what God says, that he throws our 00:17:21.700 --> 00:17:23.250 sins to the deepest of oceans. 00:17:23.300 --> 00:17:26.720 We tend to go fishing and Satan loves it. 00:17:26.760 --> 00:17:33.760 When we go fishing, we churn up our past as if that's our identity rather than the identity that we have in Christ, knowing that God has 00:17:33.760 --> 00:17:35.240 taken care of our past. 00:17:37.080 --> 00:17:40.140 And therefore we deal with our past and unhealthy ways. 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:45.280 But point number two is this God has a greater plan for our lives. 00:17:45.280 --> 00:17:47.380 And I know these two points are simplistic, but they are. 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:49.260 They are paramount for us. 00:17:50.300 --> 00:17:50.480 God. 00:17:51.060 --> 00:17:53.760 God has a greater plan for our lives. 00:17:55.100 --> 00:17:59.080 And God doesn't want us sitting in guilt and brokenness and disunity. 00:17:59.080 --> 00:18:01.080 That is not the heart of God. 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.130 And in Psalm 103, verse eight, it says this. 00:18:03.180 --> 00:18:10.820 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:17.500 Verse ten, he says, he does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our minutes or excuse me. 00:18:17.600 --> 00:18:19.470 I don't know why I said minutes according to our iniquities. 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:26.180 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him. 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:31.220 As far as the east is from the West so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:37.710 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 00:18:38.260 --> 00:18:45.360 So you're saying God has a greater plan for our life, and we're reminded of his gracious heart in the story? 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:50.120 In fact, if you move on in Genesis thinking about God's greater plan, it. 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.940 Well, maybe if I can give a quick I don't have power. 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:53.940 There we go. 00:18:53.940 --> 00:18:54.700 Verse five. 00:18:54.700 --> 00:18:59.950 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 00:19:00.420 --> 00:19:02.560 Now Joseph was governor over the land. 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:05.480 He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. 00:19:06.040 --> 00:19:09.780 And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:16.260 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. 00:19:16.800 --> 00:19:17.720 Where did you come from? 00:19:17.780 --> 00:19:20.910 He said, and they said, from the land of Canaan to buy food. 00:19:21.320 --> 00:19:25.360 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 00:19:26.120 --> 00:19:28.240 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had. 00:19:28.440 --> 00:19:30.140 He had dreamed of them. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:38.220 what's taking place in this verse is highly important to understand, and it's really a reflection of God's hand in Joseph's life. 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:42.600 Throughout his story starting, we started reading about his story in chapter 37. 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:50.460 but one thing that we've seen over and over in Joseph's life, despite the adversity that he went through, is that God was always faithful 00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:51.200 to be with him. 00:19:52.300 --> 00:19:53.840 God was always with him. 00:19:54.260 --> 00:19:57.580 It reminded us of that in Scripture when he was when he was in slavery. 00:19:58.580 --> 00:20:00.610 It reminded us of that when he was in prison. 00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:08.460 And now here in this story again, it's reminding us of God's presence and the way it's reminding us of that is through seeing his brothers bow 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:09.850 down to him. 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:16.200 If you remember in Genesis 37, verse 5 to 11, Joseph had a dream when he was 17 years old. 00:20:16.280 --> 00:20:17.950 His brothers already hated him. 00:20:18.040 --> 00:20:22.980 And then God gives him this dream where he sees his father and his brothers bowing down to him. 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:25.260 And Joseph shares that dream with his brothers. 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:28.020 And that was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back. 00:20:28.020 --> 00:20:30.480 That's when his brothers decided we're, we're getting rid of this guy. 00:20:30.860 --> 00:20:37.040 And but he shares this dream that he has that one day his brothers and his father will bow down to him. 00:20:37.360 --> 00:20:44.510 And now, here we are, 20 years later, and the faithfulness of God's hand has been made known in Joseph's life. 00:20:45.260 --> 00:20:52.320 You know, anytime we face adversity, anytime as believers, we read the idea of Scripture and we experience the challenge of it. 00:20:52.320 --> 00:20:54.150 God, what does it look like for me to truly forgive? 00:20:54.280 --> 00:20:55.990 And why in the world do you want me to forgive this person? 00:20:56.560 --> 00:20:57.480 Don't you know what they did? 00:20:57.540 --> 00:20:58.750 Or don't you know how I feel? 00:20:59.100 --> 00:21:01.350 I don't want grace, I want justice, right? 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:08.980 And when we wrestle through through those challenges, the important opportunity it gives us is to, is 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:13.260 to determine by our actions what we're truly going to put our faith in. 00:21:14.280 --> 00:21:19.880 It's going to be us, our vengeance, or is it going to be the Lord and what he says? 00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:26.540 Do you trust that God will be sufficient for what he has called you to in this world? 00:21:28.120 --> 00:21:31.560 Will he meet you in that brokenness and sustain you through it? 00:21:33.340 --> 00:21:40.820 And for Joseph, this becomes an opportunity of, as he's seen, God's faithful hand, will he be faithful in return? 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:48.360 And so you look at a passage like this in the life of the believer, it's important for us to consider, you know what? 00:21:48.680 --> 00:21:52.150 What does it mean for us to live in light of what God's Word says? 00:21:52.520 --> 00:21:56.930 And there's this quote by David Platt in his book radical, where he says this. 00:21:57.200 --> 00:22:04.540 We are settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity 00:22:04.540 --> 00:22:07.440 is actually about abandoning ourselves. 00:22:08.280 --> 00:22:15.360 My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus's words and walk away content to settle 00:22:15.360 --> 00:22:19.000 for less than radical obedience to him. 00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:26.020 You know, when it comes to the Christian life, God calls us to one thing and that is surrendering ourselves to who he is. 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:27.320 Not there's nothing. 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:28.620 Nothing less, nothing more. 00:22:28.620 --> 00:22:30.540 That's what God desires of you. 00:22:30.540 --> 00:22:35.580 That when you think about what this Christian life is as God gave himself to me. 00:22:35.640 --> 00:22:42.540 So I take all of I am and I surrender all of me to him and what he desires to accomplish through my life. 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:50.840 And forgiveness becomes this beautiful opportunity of demonstrating that to other people. 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:57.100 When we think about the idea of forgiveness, it's important to consider what does that mean? 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:06.330 when the idea of forgiveness, I think, can be used to manipulate and abuse us in ways that can be unhealthy. 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:12.190 And so when it comes to terms of forgiveness and what does it look like in the life of a Christian to forgive someone else? 00:23:13.540 --> 00:23:16.790 I think it's important, number one, to know that forgiveness doesn't mean forgetting. 00:23:18.060 --> 00:23:21.100 Now, it does mean you won't hold that against them. 00:23:21.100 --> 00:23:21.520 Right? 00:23:21.540 --> 00:23:26.760 But it can be terrible idea to try to just forget what happened and what I mean. 00:23:26.760 --> 00:23:27.390 Let me give you an example. 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:36.240 as a as a young man, I remember a particular point of my life where one of my cousins struggled with an addiction and 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:39.400 they had burned some bridges with other members of our family. 00:23:39.520 --> 00:23:46.630 And so my family decided to take in my cousin to try to help them in the state that they were in a very kind thing. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:48.600 My family wanted to do because they cared about them. 00:23:49.020 --> 00:23:52.600 But one thing my family did not do while they were forgiving is they did not forget. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:59.780 And one of the ways they did not forget is when my cousin came to live with us, we took some of the possessions that we had and we put 00:23:59.780 --> 00:24:00.620 it in a safe. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:08.960 And the reason we put it in the safe is because we didn't want them to have the temptation of taking those possessions and doing something poor with those things, because 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:09.680 they did not belong. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:10.700 It did not belong to them. 00:24:11.760 --> 00:24:18.710 And so sometimes forgetting can be an unhealthy thing that we can forgive, but also we can set people up in order to succeed. 00:24:19.520 --> 00:24:23.060 And so forgiveness doesn't mean necessarily for forgetting. 00:24:23.500 --> 00:24:29.680 And Joseph, you're going to see in these moments doesn't forget what his brother brothers do has done to him. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:33.220 But he does, he does forgive them. 00:24:33.260 --> 00:24:39.130 And then he sets them up for an opportunity to learn where they are in their own state and relationship to him. 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:42.850 forgiveness doesn't mean you have to be best friends. 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:49.630 Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean you bring them back to a similar status and relationship. 00:24:50.520 --> 00:24:57.840 And trust when it's broken takes time to rebuild, and you need to know the heart of that person, especially in the intimacy 00:24:57.840 --> 00:24:59.900 of what that relationship could be. 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:03.900 Before you reinstate them to a particular position that you can also trust them. 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:06.880 You can forgive them, but it doesn't mean you have to fully entrust them. 00:25:07.040 --> 00:25:11.460 Trust has to be rebuilt, and that's only modeled by their consistent character over time. 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:16.180 And so forgiveness doesn't mean you have to become best friends. 00:25:17.280 --> 00:25:24.660 in fact, that becomes an impossibility that while you as a forgiver, if you're forgiving an offender, you can't truly have that relationship 00:25:24.660 --> 00:25:32.330 until they repent, until they're willing to turn from that and accept the forgiveness and walk in reconciliation. 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:39.260 And so while we can be a forgiving people, forgiveness isn't experience until another heart is repentant. 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:45.760 Nor does it mean you can't call authorities like we have laws in this land to protect you. 00:25:45.760 --> 00:25:52.520 If someone breaks laws against you are completely justified in calling authorities and you can still forgive that person. 00:25:53.040 --> 00:25:54.550 And both of those things can be okay. 00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:02.880 it doesn't mean, excuse me, it does mean you will not carry the past as it's your responsibility. 00:26:03.520 --> 00:26:04.280 I mean, you can call authorities. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:05.300 You can understand. 00:26:05.580 --> 00:26:07.320 God says he'll work all things together for good. 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:09.160 Vengeance belongs to the Lord. 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:10.240 It's not your job. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.100 It's God's job. 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:14.140 And whatever God wants to do is far greater than what you're going to do anyway. 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:20.000 Forgiveness for us really becomes a decision of the will. 00:26:21.940 --> 00:26:29.000 To understand what God's Word says and to follow it, and then to let the emotions follow 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:29.500 after. 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:34.400 That's exactly what Corrie ten Boom did with the soldier that she met. 00:26:35.820 --> 00:26:43.600 She knew she was going around sharing a message of reconciliation, modeling forgiveness to the Lord, and to forgive that individual soldier. 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:48.060 It was first a decision of the will and then the emotions follow after. 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:54.980 And in that obedience, we see Joseph doing a similar thing in this story. 00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:59.860 He's revealing the intent of his heart in verse seven as he interacts with his brothers. 00:26:59.880 --> 00:27:06.740 It says, Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:12.260 Now, reading a verse like that, you might think, well, how is speaking roughly to them forgiving? 00:27:12.560 --> 00:27:15.280 That's that sounds like a very angry soul. 00:27:15.280 --> 00:27:17.900 He wants to bring vengeance and justice, that is. 00:27:17.900 --> 00:27:24.900 But when you understand the uniqueness of Joseph's situation, he's in a predicament that most of us don't find 00:27:24.900 --> 00:27:25.890 ourselves in. 00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:33.100 His brothers don't know who he is, and he is using that to his advantage to understand what reconciliation could look like with 00:27:33.100 --> 00:27:34.380 his brothers. 00:27:34.580 --> 00:27:42.110 And so when he's speaking harshly, we can still see from this text that his heart is towards his brothers favorably by how he responds, 00:27:42.580 --> 00:27:47.510 because if he really decided ill intent towards his brothers, the story would have unfolded like this. 00:27:48.380 --> 00:27:53.140 His brothers come in the room, he recognizes his brothers and he's thinking, oh great, now I'm in power. 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:54.620 Now they're going to see what that's like. 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:57.240 And the minute he saw them, he said, he could have said, you know what? 00:27:57.420 --> 00:27:59.570 I went in as a slave and was thrown into prison. 00:27:59.820 --> 00:28:00.620 Make them a slave. 00:28:00.620 --> 00:28:01.940 Let's toss them in prison. 00:28:02.740 --> 00:28:07.940 But rather than, than do that, he engages them in the circumstances. 00:28:08.020 --> 00:28:14.600 And I love how he walks through this because he could also take an unhealthy route and just try to ignore the pain of the past. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:21.500 He could have just revealed himself instantly to his brothers and be like, I've missed you guys so much, let's just pretend like nothing happened. 00:28:21.560 --> 00:28:24.120 And they could have been like, yeah, we really love you, right? 00:28:24.120 --> 00:28:31.720 And he would have never really known, where their relationship was because in that situation it wouldn't have worked out, but rather rather 00:28:31.720 --> 00:28:38.740 Joseph in this story, he uses this opportunity to discover the depth of where his brothers hearts 00:28:38.740 --> 00:28:40.630 are towards him. 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:48.700 And here's what's important to know is that we've already discovered that Joseph's heart is forgiving towards 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:49.600 his brothers. 00:28:51.240 --> 00:28:54.040 And the reason we know that is because of the way chapter 41 ended. 00:28:55.220 --> 00:28:57.120 Chapter 41, verse 51 and 52. 00:28:57.180 --> 00:29:04.220 If you remember when Joseph had his had children, he had Manasseh and Ephraim, and he used the name of his children 00:29:04.220 --> 00:29:09.760 as if to share the testimony of his life, and in sharing the name of his children. 00:29:09.820 --> 00:29:12.500 Remember, the first child is Manasseh, the second child is Ephraim. 00:29:12.780 --> 00:29:17.260 It's communicating what God has done in his life despite what he's gone through. 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:25.100 Manasseh, roughly translated, means put the past in the past, and Ephraim is stepping into 00:29:25.100 --> 00:29:26.280 the blessing of God. 00:29:28.580 --> 00:29:32.820 Because of God's faithful hand in his life, he has found healing to his soul. 00:29:34.340 --> 00:29:41.420 And through that Joseph didn't have to be defined by the things that happened to him, but rather through the God 00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:42.700 who walked with him. 00:29:45.040 --> 00:29:48.430 Because can I tell you, when we go through struggles in life, how many times is a pastor? 00:29:50.340 --> 00:29:58.160 I find people grabbing onto their past to shape an unhealthy situation as 00:29:58.160 --> 00:29:59.300 their identity in the present. 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:09.140 It's almost as if to say, we've come to the place of a of a defeatist mentality that I can't live the kind of life God 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:15.820 calls me to because I was raised in this type of home, or I didn't have modeled for me this kind of person. 00:30:17.120 --> 00:30:22.180 I don't know what it is to be a godly husband, because I was never around a godly man who led his family well. 00:30:22.260 --> 00:30:23.820 I don't know what it is to be a godly father. 00:30:24.220 --> 00:30:26.580 I don't know what it is to be a godly man or even women. 00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:31.480 I don't know what it is to be a godly woman, a godly wife, a godly mother because I never had those examples. 00:30:34.120 --> 00:30:37.980 Can I tell you, regardless of what has happened to you in your past? 00:30:39.840 --> 00:30:42.180 You have a glorious and beautiful example today. 00:30:43.520 --> 00:30:47.520 His name is Jesus, that he desires to walk with you. 00:30:47.520 --> 00:30:51.980 And no matter what has happened to you, to reshape your heart in the goodness of who he is. 00:30:53.440 --> 00:31:00.760 And when you discover that as your identity in Christ and what he has done for you, that you're able then to give all of yourself 00:31:00.760 --> 00:31:05.720 to discover what it means to follow after the Lord and walk in that newness of life. 00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:08.300 And this is exactly what Joseph is saying. 00:31:09.060 --> 00:31:14.160 I'm not letting what happened to me to define me, but rather what the Lord is doing in me that defines me. 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:17.880 What Jesus, what the Lord has done for me, that is what defines me. 00:31:18.020 --> 00:31:21.100 And this is where I'm discovering how I am to lead my life. 00:31:21.340 --> 00:31:28.400 Even if you don't have the godly models behind you have a godly model before you and you can live 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:30.700 that out and walk in light of it. 00:31:31.840 --> 00:31:33.120 And this is what Joseph is saying. 00:31:33.400 --> 00:31:39.390 He's been a forgiving person because he's been shaped in the goodness of who God is. 00:31:39.560 --> 00:31:42.190 And because of that, he has become a forgiving person. 00:31:42.760 --> 00:31:45.020 And Scripture calls us to the same thing. 00:31:45.780 --> 00:31:52.820 You know, when you think about the idea of experiencing God's forgiveness and we become a forgiving people and therefore we 00:31:52.820 --> 00:31:54.330 open the door of reconciliation. 00:31:55.760 --> 00:31:59.150 In fact, in second Corinthians chapter five verse 18, it says this. 00:31:59.260 --> 00:32:07.040 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that 00:32:07.040 --> 00:32:09.420 this really becomes our identity as God's people. 00:32:10.340 --> 00:32:13.560 Then we find the grace of God and the forgiveness of God, and what it means to be reconciled to him. 00:32:13.580 --> 00:32:20.180 Then we get to live that out in our lives as our life has been surrendered to him completely, we now have the opportunity and privilege to model it. 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:26.980 In fact, in chapter five, verse 20, it calls you ambassadors, calling people to reconciliation in Christ. 00:32:28.660 --> 00:32:35.720 I can tell you in finding reconciliation in Christ, it also extends to reconciliation in our earthly 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:36.720 relationships. 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:44.950 as well, as people, when it comes to understanding what reconciling means, 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:52.380 it's important that in being a forgiven person, I be a forgiving person. 00:32:53.400 --> 00:32:55.230 And to know I can't force reconciliation. 00:32:57.080 --> 00:33:00.580 But I can leave the door open to the opportunities of what God might desire to do. 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.880 When we understand what reconciliation is, we can't force other people through that door. 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:09.280 But reconciliation is defined this way. 00:33:09.280 --> 00:33:16.280 It is the restoration of a relationship to a harmonious state after a dispute. 00:33:17.560 --> 00:33:21.420 A restoration of a relationship to a harmonious state after a dispute. 00:33:22.300 --> 00:33:25.270 And this is what God desires to do in our relationships. 00:33:26.200 --> 00:33:32.840 And if you have two people repentant and surrendered to one another in that purpose, as it can be accomplished. 00:33:33.520 --> 00:33:38.340 Reconciliation may not always happen, though, because we can't always control how other people respond. 00:33:39.040 --> 00:33:44.900 But Joseph, in the story, he uses his anonymity for possible reconciliation with his brothers. 00:33:45.540 --> 00:33:52.700 And what's incredible is when you read the story, you realize Joseph is a he is a busy man, but yet he takes the time in this 00:33:52.700 --> 00:33:55.510 story to minister to his brothers. 00:33:56.540 --> 00:33:57.700 He's taking time, though. 00:33:57.700 --> 00:33:59.570 He's running all of Egypt and all that's taking place. 00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:03.020 He's taking this time to meet his brothers where they are. 00:34:03.020 --> 00:34:07.070 It's been more than 20 years since he's seen them. 00:34:07.100 --> 00:34:13.900 And now he's wondering, asking the question, how in the world can I entrust myself to them, or can I entrust myself to them? 00:34:14.040 --> 00:34:17.489 And he really puts them to two tests, and I don't have time to read the two tests. 00:34:17.620 --> 00:34:20.020 But it starts in verse nine. 00:34:20.560 --> 00:34:25.510 He sees ten of his brothers come to visit him, which means one of his brothers is missing. 00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:30.900 And for Joseph, this would have been very concerning, because his the ten brothers that are there are his half brothers. 00:34:31.080 --> 00:34:34.780 He's got one full blood brother named Benjamin, and Benjamin's not there. 00:34:34.880 --> 00:34:36.280 And his concern would have been heightened. 00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:43.449 He would have thought to himself, my mother had two children, me from Rachel, me, Joseph and Benjamin, and they got rid of me. 00:34:43.780 --> 00:34:44.920 So what happened to my other brother? 00:34:44.920 --> 00:34:47.659 Because he's not here and he would have been very concerned. 00:34:47.659 --> 00:34:51.659 So in verse nine, he starts talking to his brothers, wanting to find out, where is your heart? 00:34:51.659 --> 00:34:52.520 Are you still evil? 00:34:53.080 --> 00:34:55.120 Has God worked in your life and changed your life? 00:34:55.159 --> 00:34:55.800 Where are you? 00:34:55.820 --> 00:34:57.970 And he says he starts to accuse them of being spies. 00:34:58.620 --> 00:35:00.400 Ten people coming into this land. 00:35:00.400 --> 00:35:04.200 You guys are spies coming to attack us and the brothers defend themselves. 00:35:04.200 --> 00:35:05.290 No we're not, we're not spies. 00:35:05.580 --> 00:35:06.740 And Joseph knows they're not. 00:35:06.740 --> 00:35:07.940 But he wants to. 00:35:08.100 --> 00:35:09.120 He wants to hear. 00:35:09.120 --> 00:35:11.480 He's trying to learn about the condition of their heart towards them. 00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:14.560 Is it in a place of true reconciliation or not? 00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:18.160 And so he accuses them of this, and the brothers finally confess. 00:35:18.220 --> 00:35:22.640 They say, we have one brother that passed, and then we have another brother that's at home. 00:35:22.740 --> 00:35:26.360 But our father sent the ten of us, and it would make sense that ten of them would travel. 00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:29.700 It would have been unsafe for just a few of them to go. 00:35:29.720 --> 00:35:32.350 So traveling in large numbers kept them safe. 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:39.820 And in addition, coming to Egypt to get land, they probably distribute the food according to per capita, meaning the more family 00:35:39.820 --> 00:35:44.340 members that are represented, the more food you can get to represent that family. 00:35:44.860 --> 00:35:50.840 And so they bring the larger portion of their family to get food in order that they can get more of it. 00:35:51.020 --> 00:35:51.780 And so it makes sense. 00:35:52.080 --> 00:35:56.100 And Joseph's testing them just to see how have you treated my other brother. 00:35:56.100 --> 00:35:58.160 What kind of brothers are you or have you become. 00:35:58.880 --> 00:36:00.210 And then he gives them the second test. 00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:06.680 He says, okay, since my one brother is still alive, Benjamin, he doesn't tell him who he is yet, since Benjamin is alive. 00:36:06.680 --> 00:36:10.200 If you want me to believe you, I need one of you to go back and get them. 00:36:10.560 --> 00:36:15.380 And he throws them all in prison to figure out what one brother is going to go back to get him. 00:36:15.840 --> 00:36:22.880 But before they make that decision, Joseph lets them out and he says, I'm actually just going to keep one of you and I'm going to send 00:36:22.880 --> 00:36:29.110 the rest of you to go get my brother or go get Benjamin, who they don't know is his brother yet, but he wants to send them all. 00:36:29.480 --> 00:36:37.560 And I think the second test that Joseph gives them is he puts the brothers under pressure to just see how they're going to treat each other, because 00:36:37.560 --> 00:36:42.140 Joseph knows and that sort of a tense situation, how they may in turn treat him. 00:36:42.820 --> 00:36:48.690 And so Joseph uses this moment to understand how he might be able to entrust them. 00:36:49.000 --> 00:36:56.550 And in verse 24, when Joseph finally takes one of the brothers and he sends the rest off, it tells you, verse 21 to 24, 00:36:57.080 --> 00:36:58.740 in verse 24, it tells you he keeps Simeon. 00:36:59.480 --> 00:37:02.180 And the question we could ask is, out of all the brothers, why did he pick Simeon? 00:37:03.840 --> 00:37:11.230 And I think, according to tradition, what would have made the most sense would have been for Joseph to take Reuben because he was the oldest. 00:37:12.080 --> 00:37:14.300 But rather than take Reuben, he takes the second oldest. 00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:15.920 Simeon questions why? 00:37:17.020 --> 00:37:22.840 I think the answer is obvious based on Joseph's life and especially in chapter 37. 00:37:23.020 --> 00:37:30.020 It's because when his brothers turn their backs on Joseph and they wanted to sell him into slavery, it was Reuben who tried to step up and 00:37:30.020 --> 00:37:31.420 tell the brothers not to do it. 00:37:32.180 --> 00:37:37.420 And when Reuben stepped away for a minute, the rest of the brothers seized Joseph and ended up selling him into slavery. 00:37:38.380 --> 00:37:44.650 Joseph, knowing that, chose not to keep Reuben into slavery, but rather chose the second second brother in line. 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:52.920 And so, Joseph, he's demonstrating for us this idea of, where a healthy 00:37:52.920 --> 00:37:59.850 heart should be and its willingness as a forgiven person to be forgiving and open the door for reconciliation. 00:38:00.740 --> 00:38:01.320 And here as he. 00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:02.330 Is interacting with his brothers. 00:38:02.500 --> 00:38:05.720 He's finding where their heart might be. 00:38:05.740 --> 00:38:08.740 And finally, Joseph discovers point number four in your notes, which I'll give you. 00:38:09.060 --> 00:38:10.100 I'll give you in just a minute. 00:38:10.520 --> 00:38:13.220 But he discovers where his brothers are as they start to talk. 00:38:13.240 --> 00:38:20.860 It tells us in Ephesians chapter 42, verse 21 it says, then they said to one another, in truth we 00:38:20.860 --> 00:38:27.540 are guilty concerning our brothers, and that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us. 00:38:28.120 --> 00:38:31.020 And we did not, we did not listen. 00:38:31.620 --> 00:38:34.100 That is why this distress has come upon us. 00:38:34.500 --> 00:38:37.940 And Reuben answered them, did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? 00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:39.860 But you did not listen? 00:38:40.320 --> 00:38:43.820 So now there comes a reckoning for his blood. 00:38:45.180 --> 00:38:50.100 Verse 23 goes on to tell you, Joseph, they did not know that Joseph could actually understand them. 00:38:50.360 --> 00:38:55.070 Joseph, as he interacted with his brothers, he spoke through a translator as if he only understood Egyptian. 00:38:57.220 --> 00:39:03.930 but rather, in this passage, Joseph is understanding everything his brother says, and he just kept that hidden from them. 00:39:04.040 --> 00:39:10.500 But here in this story, when Joseph realizes what his brothers are communicating, verse 24, you see, it breaks his heart. 00:39:11.620 --> 00:39:15.840 It tells you in the story that then he turned away from them and wept. 00:39:16.640 --> 00:39:18.300 And he returned to them and spoke to them. 00:39:19.160 --> 00:39:23.000 And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 00:39:24.900 --> 00:39:32.160 Joseph realized that with his relationships with his brothers, he had the one marker, the one thing that he knew he needed in 00:39:32.240 --> 00:39:34.520 order to pursue healthy reconciliation. 00:39:35.340 --> 00:39:39.140 Point number four in your notes is this humility is crucial. 00:39:42.300 --> 00:39:43.540 Humility is crucial. 00:39:46.620 --> 00:39:49.100 Joseph had already forgiven them. 00:39:49.120 --> 00:39:50.040 Ephraim and Manasseh. 00:39:50.060 --> 00:39:52.040 Those names teach us that he had already forgiven them. 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:56.080 But what he also wanted to know is, can we truly reconcile? 00:39:57.660 --> 00:39:59.890 Will they step into that forgiveness? 00:40:00.500 --> 00:40:01.880 Humbly repent. 00:40:02.760 --> 00:40:04.530 And for us to be able to be reconciled. 00:40:07.120 --> 00:40:11.180 When Joseph hears how his brothers are still wrestling with what they did to him. 00:40:12.780 --> 00:40:20.080 Joseph knows there is an opportunity for healing between them, and this leads Joseph to this place of 00:40:20.080 --> 00:40:22.100 really brokenness before them. 00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:24.220 He's weeping. 00:40:25.980 --> 00:40:30.190 That seems true for us when it comes to the idea of forgiveness and reconciliation. 00:40:30.620 --> 00:40:33.020 Even though we may not, we may extend forgiveness. 00:40:33.020 --> 00:40:38.220 Not all those relationships are going to be healthy for reconciliation to its fullest. 00:40:39.420 --> 00:40:47.480 And a lot of that depends on the willingness of the other heart to humbly respond to the extent of your forgiveness, 00:40:48.020 --> 00:40:55.080 and determining how important that relationship is, should help us understand to what degree we need to go in order to experience that 00:40:55.080 --> 00:40:55.580 reconciliation. 00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:00.100 Meaning, for example, between two brothers. 00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:03.520 Understanding the importance of family. 00:41:04.960 --> 00:41:06.810 And being able to forgive and reconcile. 00:41:07.600 --> 00:41:11.620 You know, I often say to us as a church, humble people don't find. 00:41:13.520 --> 00:41:14.160 Proud people do. 00:41:15.420 --> 00:41:18.040 When you got two proud people in a room, there's going to be fighting all day long. 00:41:18.080 --> 00:41:24.200 But when you have two humble people in a room, they can surrender themselves to the benefit of each other. 00:41:25.280 --> 00:41:27.210 And it comes to the marital relationship. 00:41:27.880 --> 00:41:31.020 The Bible doesn't call us to fight against each other, but rather fight for one another. 00:41:31.840 --> 00:41:37.240 And a tremendous marker in the life of a marital relationship is the willingness to humble yourself for the benefit of another. 00:41:37.920 --> 00:41:45.160 That when you're in a fight, in a relationship, that crazy cycle of a fight does not end until one person in that relationship is willing to surrender themselves, to humble themselves 00:41:45.160 --> 00:41:50.320 for the benefit of the other person, and in so doing, that other person can then reciprocate in response. 00:41:51.540 --> 00:41:52.100 Forgiving. 00:41:52.260 --> 00:41:55.790 Forgiving people are forgiving people, and they leave the door open for reconciliation. 00:41:56.120 --> 00:41:57.510 This is what Joseph wants to discover. 00:41:57.820 --> 00:41:59.540 Is that opportunity there. 00:41:59.600 --> 00:42:03.230 One of those other powerful places that can happen is among God's community. 00:42:03.800 --> 00:42:10.600 Ephesians chapter four reminds us of the beauty of covenant relationship that in Christ we are a covenant people. 00:42:10.640 --> 00:42:17.820 God has made the new covenant with us, and the identity that we carry becomes important in our willingness to surrender all that we are to that as 00:42:17.820 --> 00:42:18.340 his people. 00:42:18.360 --> 00:42:22.780 God does a powerful work in that, but in so doing, it can get messy because we're broken. 00:42:22.780 --> 00:42:23.360 We're people. 00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:23.860 Right? 00:42:24.260 --> 00:42:31.380 And so that's why Scripture reminds us over and over again of the demeanor that we're to carry for each other, that we can see the beauty of what God desires to do, that when we might 00:42:31.380 --> 00:42:36.620 offend one another, we can find forgiveness and reconciliation with each other for the purpose of how God could work through us. 00:42:36.640 --> 00:42:41.780 And Ephesians four it says this therefore talking about because of your identity in Christ, that word. 00:42:41.880 --> 00:42:49.020 Therefore I, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness and 00:42:49.020 --> 00:42:55.370 patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. 00:42:55.760 --> 00:43:00.180 So this idea of bearing with one another is, look, there's going to be a sacrifice in what you do for the Lord. 00:43:01.000 --> 00:43:05.480 And it's only natural because you're modeling the one who sacrificed everything for you. 00:43:05.660 --> 00:43:08.720 And if you want to see the goodness of what God desires to do in you, it's this. 00:43:08.820 --> 00:43:14.000 This trusting in him that God has a greater work to do in us. 00:43:14.060 --> 00:43:16.810 And rather than just simply trusting in myself. 00:43:17.380 --> 00:43:21.060 Now, to be honest, I realize as a believer to live that kind of life. 00:43:21.060 --> 00:43:28.260 It takes a supernatural kind of strength and a supernatural kind of love, which means the only way I'll truly walk in this is to 00:43:28.260 --> 00:43:31.820 find my life completely surrendered over to the Lord God. 00:43:31.820 --> 00:43:33.330 Fill me up with your grace. 00:43:35.700 --> 00:43:37.160 Let your grace would be made known to me. 00:43:38.540 --> 00:43:40.940 Being diligent to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. 00:43:41.640 --> 00:43:43.900 Because of this, there is one body and one spirit. 00:43:44.140 --> 00:43:45.000 You're called to one. 00:43:45.220 --> 00:43:52.300 One hope in the Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, a father overall and who is through all he's saying, look, there is there is no greater 00:43:52.300 --> 00:43:53.440 sacred place. 00:43:53.460 --> 00:43:58.800 The forgiveness of God can be made known than among God's people and the purposes for which he desires to accomplish in us. 00:44:00.580 --> 00:44:05.890 How important it is to leave the door of reconciliation open. 00:44:07.460 --> 00:44:14.240 And because of that, then because of the repentant heart of his brothers, which they haven't come to full repentance yet, it will unfold in this story. 00:44:15.080 --> 00:44:20.360 It tells us, as the story goes on, verse 25, that Joseph wants to bless his brothers. 00:44:20.380 --> 00:44:23.380 I mean, that's what happens in reconciliation, the blessing of relationship. 00:44:23.940 --> 00:44:25.280 Joseph wants to bless his brothers. 00:44:25.300 --> 00:44:32.400 And in verse 26, when they leave Egypt, they saddle their donkeys and leave, and they get down the road and they open up their saddles, and they realize all the money 00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:35.520 they came to Egypt with has returned, and they have the food. 00:44:36.280 --> 00:44:39.920 And for them, in verse 28, it tells you they are overwhelmed by this. 00:44:39.920 --> 00:44:43.930 It even says the last phrase here, what is this that God has done to us? 00:44:45.240 --> 00:44:51.060 And they're blown away by the grace that's been extended to them and to the point that it just makes them nervous. 00:44:53.180 --> 00:44:54.860 guys, the same is true for us. 00:44:56.940 --> 00:45:04.360 When you understand the grace of God that's been extended to you, that God would love you while 00:45:04.360 --> 00:45:08.040 you're a sinner, that he would not give up on you. 00:45:09.140 --> 00:45:13.300 That he continues to pursue you faithfully even when you're not faithful to him. 00:45:14.780 --> 00:45:17.320 That he gave everything his own life. 00:45:17.500 --> 00:45:24.640 That you might know him, that grace, that love can lead the soul to tremble before 00:45:24.640 --> 00:45:27.920 his presence, knowing we are not worthy of that. 00:45:29.660 --> 00:45:36.780 But when you have the opportunity to still embrace it, how life giving and transforming it comes for us that then we can live 00:45:36.780 --> 00:45:42.740 in light of that, not every story ends the way Joseph does, and every story gets to end the beauty. 00:45:42.880 --> 00:45:48.000 See the beauty of reconciliation, because not all people are going to respond the way that we might often hope. 00:45:49.300 --> 00:45:55.940 But at the end of the day, we get to rest our heads knowing we've been faithful to follow after the Lord. 00:45:56.160 --> 00:45:58.220 Corey Tenboom said it like this and I'll close with this. 00:45:58.260 --> 00:46:03.640 She says forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. 00:46:04.560 --> 00:46:10.330 It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. 00:46:10.840 --> 00:46:16.820 She went on later to say it like this when I forgave others from, from prison, she worded it this way. 00:46:16.940 --> 00:46:24.320 I discovered that I was the only one truly captured in that prison, and we hold on to unforgiveness. 00:46:24.340 --> 00:46:26.020 It becomes toxic to the soul. 00:46:27.480 --> 00:46:35.140 But when we trust in the greatness of what God desires to do, having grabbed a hold of his forgiveness, walking as a forgiving people, the 00:46:35.140 --> 00:46:40.860 opportunity of reconciliation, God can do a far greater work in his own strength rather than in our own.