OPEN: On the night of December 9, 1914, Edison Industries was virtually destroyed by fire. Edison lost two million dollars that night and much of his life’s work went up in flames. He was insured for only $238,000, because the buildings had been made of concrete, at that time thought to be fireproof.
(Edison’s son) Charles was 24; Thomas was 67. The young man ran about frantically, trying to find his father. Finally he came upon him, standing near the fire, his face ruddy in the glow, his white hair blown by the December winds.
"My heart ached for him," Charles Edison said. "he was 67 - no longer a young man - and everything was going up in flames.”
He spotted me. ’Charles,’ he shouted, ’where’s your mother?’
1 don’t know, Dad,’ I said.
’Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this again as long as she lives.’"
The next morning, walking about the charred embers of all his hopes and dreams, Edison said,
"There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew
Three weeks after the fire, his firm delivered the first phonograph.
(Never Give Up by Tim Crosby, Copyright (c) 2001 by The Quiet Hour http://www.thequiethour.org/)
All his mistakes were gone
He could start over again.
But not everyone believes that way
For example: Some people love to play God. Have you ever met anyone who likes to play God? (many raised their hands). Folks like this feel they have the authority to condemn others. They seem to be totally unwilling to let anyone ever turn their lives around/ start over again.
ILLUS: I was once visiting with some relatives when one person brought up how a preacher she knew was a hypocrite. He would be friendly and outgoing while talking to people in church, but in another organization he was part of, he was cold and impersonal - hardly said hello to anyone.
I tried to explain to this person that the preacher probably didn’t realize he was doing that and that she should try talking to him about it.
Just then another person spoke up and said “I disagree. He is a hypocrite. I always judge someone by their lowest common denominator”
(i.e. the worst thing they do usually defines who they are… for all time)
Somewhat shocked, I turned to this person and said “Oh no! By that standard, none of us stands a chance. We’re all lost!”
All Have Sinned And Fallen Short Of The Glory Of God.
That preacher had sinned, I have sinned, every Elder, Sunday School Teacher or upstanding member of this or any other congregation has sinned. We’ve all fallen short. If we were judged by the lowest common denominator no one would have any hope.
So there are those who like to play God and condemn everyone who doesn’t measure up to their standards.
THEN there are others who’ve sinned so badly they don’t think they could ever be forgiven.
One poet once lamented: Hazel Felleman
"I wish there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again
Where all our mistakes, and all our heartaches
And all our selfish griefs
Could be cast like a shabby old coat at the door
And never be put on again"
In her poem this author was saying how she wished there was such a place where the past could be put aside… but she wasn’t convinced that such a thing existed. That’s what we see with Joseph’s brothers – They seem to believe their sin will never be forgiven.
“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?’” Genesis 50:15
Joseph’s brothers been living in Egypt with Joseph for 17 years. For 17 years they’ve been
· living under Joseph’s protection,
· living in the lush pasture lands of Goshen,
· raising their children in the shadows of Joseph’s palace
For 17 years they lived just down the street from Joseph and Joseph could have taken revenge at any moment. BUT HE DIDN’T
Seventeen years earlier, Joseph told them he forgave them. In Genesis 45:5-8 Joseph declared:
“… do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”
Joseph had forgiven them… but they’d never forgiven themselves.
Adam Clarke once observed: “The conscience records (our sins); and - by giving birth to continual fears and doubtfulness - destroys all peace of mind, security, and confidence.”
Until a person comes to the point where they accept forgiveness they’ll tend to run away from that which would give them peace of mind.
ILLUS: There’s the true story of an attorney, who after studying on several scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than six months.
He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent 17 debt-canceling letters by certified mail.
SIXTEEN of the 17 letters were returned, unsigned and undelivered.
Why? Because the clients refused to sign for them and open the envelopes. They were afraid that the attorney was suing them for their debts. So - in their fear - they ended up running away from his forgiveness. (Rick McCarley, sermoncentral.com)
Now – what interests me about this passage in Genesis 50 is that it deals with two kinds of guilt.
1st it deals with Guilt that is forgiven.
Joseph forgave his brothers.
But why would he do that? How could Joseph possibly forgive what they had done to him?
Even his brothers had problems figuring that one out.
Think about you’d feel if someone did to you what they’d done to him.
About 10 years ago Time magazine published a survey where people were asked if they would forgive someone who:
....................................................... % forgive.............. % not forgive
Told lies about them ........................... 73 ............................24
Stole money from them ......................67.............................31
Slapped or punched them.....................64.............................32
Held them up with a gun.......................42.............................54
Murdered someone in community........33..............................59
Raped them..........................................22.............................73
Raped a family member........................19.............................77
(Time 4/5/99 p. 58 Yankelovich Partners Inc. Survey)
Those are terrible things to experience
And the worse the sin… the harder it was for people to say they’d forgive.
But think about it: the way Joseph’s brothers treated him was as bad – or worse – than anything on that list.
They robbed him of his most valuable possession – his cloak
Violated his body - beating him and throwing him into a pit
Deprived him of his home and family
Planned to murder him
And ultimately sent him to face a fate that could have been worse than death.
What these brothers had doen was cruel and unforgivable…
But Joseph forgave them anyway.
How could he do that?
1st – he really did love his brothers
Notice when they sent him the message… how did he react?
When their message came to him, Joseph wept. Genesis 50:17
He loved his brothers.
ILLUS: I recently read the true story of a VBS class where the teacher was talking about how mean people could be to each other. One little girl raised her hand and then said: “My sister is always mean to me… but I love her anyway. She’s my sister.”
If you love someone, you can find it easy to forgive them.
But if you don’t love someone… you’re not likely to forgive them
ILLUS: Just think about what happens in politics.
If a politician cheats on their wife or steals money from his contributors or does some illegal act,
people who despise that politician’s party will rise up and condemn them. Media outlets who dislike that politician’s party will quickly give the most jaded details of the wrongdoing.
BUT if that politician is a member of “THEIR PARTY”… if that politician represents the political group they identify with, newspapers/ TV and radio outlets… and rank and file members of that party… will rise up and find an excuse for that politician’s behavior.
Why would they forgive such outlandish behavior?
Because that is THEIR politician/ it is THEIR political party
Proverbs says: “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12
That is: If I already hate someone – I’ll find reasons to condemn them.
But if I love someone… I’ll tend to find a way to forgive them.
Think about it… that’s how God dealt with us.
“For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever would believe in Him might not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Have you ever wondered how God could forgive you?
He forgave you because He loved you.
He’s always loved you.
And because He’s loved you, it’s easy for Him to forgive you… no matter what you’ve done.
And because God loved us so much that He could forgive US our sins He command us to do the same thing to others. Peter writes:
“… love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
In Ephesians He says it even more powerfully:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
God says love each other - and forgive each other - BECAUSE I DID IT FOR YOU!
2ndly – not only did Joseph love his brothers… He trusted God
Joseph believed the promise God gives US in Romans 8:28
“…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
All through his 13 years of being a slave and a prisoner Joseph always looked for God
He always depended upon God to be there for him in his slavery
And he always depended on God to be there for him when he was in prison.
So, when he finally was released from prison and became a powerful man… he still saw God in everything that had happened to him. That’s why he could tell his brothers:
“… do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.”
The evil his brothers had done was something that God used to benefit Joseph and those he loved. What his brothers had done WAS evil…but what God did in response to their evil deed was faithful. If Joseph’s brothers had not done that evil deed, Joseph wouldn’t be where he was now.
Now I’m not sure that everything that happens to us is God’s will, but I am convinced that I serve a MIGHTY God who can take whatever circumstances I give Him and turn it to my good.
So this passage deals with guilt that HAS been forgiven…
But it also deals with guilt that hasn’t been forgiven
Joseph’s brothers can’t figure out how Joseph could possibly have forgiven them. And they have good reason to believe that.
o they had beaten him,
o robbed him,
o threw him in a pit
o and sold him into slavery.
What they did was a terrible thing but that was 37 years ago. That’s a whole lifetime ago… and Joseph had already told them he forgave them 17 years previously.
The problem was they couldn’t believe it.
They couldn’t forgive themselves of what they’d done.
Until they accepted Joseph’s offer of forgiveness…
… they’d still live a life of doubt
… they’d still live in fear of judgment
… they’d still be separated from their brother who loved them.
CLOSE: Dr. Walter L. Wilson tells of the Revival he held where a woman approached him after the crowds had gone to explain that she had a desire to become a Christian but she just couldn’t understand how God could forgive her and accept her. For some reason, Dr. Wilson felt he should ask her if she recalled any scripture. At that point she said yes:
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only FORGOTTEN son..."
Noting that she had substituted "forgotten" for "begotten" he realized what he could say to help her...
"Do you know why God forgot His son?"
"No," she replied.
"He forgot His son because He wanted to remember you."
In the same way… Jesus has told us He wants to forgive us
He wants to us to realize that He loves us so much that all our sins will be removed
BUT – until we accept His offer…
… we’ll always doubt His love
… we’ll always have a fear of judgment for our past
… and we’ll still be separated from the Jesus who loves us.
We believe that so strongly here at this church that we offer an invitation at the end of every service…
