A BROTHER FORGIVES (Outline)
September 19, 2010 -
Pentecost 17 -
GENESIS 50:15-21
INTRO: God’s forgiveness is divine. God’s forgiveness is also expressed through human beings. The Lord gives believers the keys of his kingdom to unlock or lock the door of heaven for those who repent or do not repent. How sad when one does not repent. He or she locks themselves out of God’s eternal blessings in heaven. What a joy to forgive. "So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him’" (LUKE 17:3,4). We may not be so willing to forgive someone seven times in one day. Our Father forgives us 7 X 70 or even 7 X 700 times in one day. This is the depth of God’s love for us.
A BROTHER FORGIVES.
I. Joseph shows God’s grace. II. Joseph knows God’s plan.
I. JOSEPH SHOWS GOD’S GRACE.
A. Joseph and his brothers were in conflict with each other. Their father favored Joseph: jealousy, hatred.
1. This Joseph is the one who wore the coat of many colors. The brothers disliked his attitude.
2. Rather than kill Joseph he was sold into slavery. Joseph rose to second in command in Egypt.
3. Verse 15. Their father died. The brothers were scared. Their guilty fear overwhelmed them.
B. Verse 16. The brothers hope their dead father might influence Joseph to forgive them.
1. Verse 17. From the grave their father asked for forgiveness for the evil of their sins.
2. Their pleadings and their message caused Joseph to weep. God forgave them. Divine grace.
C. Verse 19. Joseph is not in the place of God. Joseph does not take away God’s forgiving grace.
D. All mankind desperately needs God’s forgiveness. But many today tend to ask, “Why? Why do we need forgiveness?” Forgiveness rightly implies something wrong has been done. Believers recognize the evil that lurks in our hearts is sin. The meanness that our lives display is sin. The wicked words that flow so easily from our lips are sinful. We cannot escape sin and its effects on this side of heaven. The world denies sin. Many change that word sin into disease. In God’s eyes sin is still sin. "Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" (PSALM 53:3). Yes, unpleasant as it may be – all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We need forgiveness.
E. Sin in our lives is devastating. Sin causes conflict among family members. Sin eats away at the brotherly love in Christian congregations. Worst of all, sin gives us a clouded view of God. We do not always clearly see that perfect plan God works out for us in our lives. Sin blinds our thinking and words and actions. There is a dividing wall of hostility between each of us and others. At times we view others with suspicion, distrust, fear, and anger. We might even shake our fist at God in a sinful moment of misunderstanding and ignorance. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear" (ISAIAH 59:2). Our sins need God’s forgiving grace.
F. Joseph treated his brothers with compassion, not revenge. Joseph saw no good reason to try to get even with his brothers. They repented. God’s divine mercy treats us with an even more perfect love than that shown by Joseph. God’s forgiveness also always includes forgetting. This is probably the hardest thing to do in our lives forgive AND forget. This is exactly the way that our gracious God forgives us again and again and again. Our Lord removes our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west. "You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea" (MICAH 7:19). God’s forgiveness displays divine mercy. Our sins are forgiven. Our sins are forgotten. Our sins are removed forever. Our God does listen. God freely gives us his grace.
A BROTHER FORGIVES. Joseph shows his brothers God’s grace. It is undeserved, divine, merciful.
II. JOSEPH KNOWS GOD’S PLAN.
A. Verse 18. Joseph’s brothers are ready to give up their freedom. They offer to be slaves.
1. Verse 19. Joseph was not in the place of God. At that time Pharaoh was worshipped as god.
2. There is to be no fear in forgiveness. God does not keep a record of wrongs, nor does Joseph.
B. Verse 20. The brothers had treated Joseph badly. They thought to kill him. They sold him as a slave.
1. As a young teenager Joseph was separated from family and friends in a foreign country.
2. Falsely accused Joseph ended up in prison. His friends forgot about him in prison.
3. Finally, Joseph was brought out to explain the dreams of Pharaoh. God gave him the meaning.
a. There would be 7 good years, 7 bad years. b. Food was stored up. c. Lives were saved.
4. All the evil intended by the brothers the Lord God Almighty changed to good for all nations!
C. Verse 21. Joseph already had their families firmly settled in Egypt. Forgiveness reassures, comforts.
D. All too often we act all too much like the brothers of Joseph. Consider their concerns. The brothers were overly concerned what Joseph might do to get even. “What if” Joseph took revenge? “What if” they lost their lives? “What if” have become the watchwords in our day and age. “What if” the economy fails? “What if” crop prices fall? “What if” we run out of oil? “What if” our climate gets too warm (or now changes too much)? All these “what ifs” can make us too concerned with the physical aspects of our earthly lives. Jesus would have us remember that our souls are far, far more important than anything of or in this life. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (MATTHEW 10:28). Know God’s eternal plans.
E. How do we overcome all of the “what ifs” that plague our lives? How do we conquer the “what ifs” that try to rob each one of us of the joy of our salvation? Our Lord God Almighty has given each of us the ability and divine power to put every “what if” behind us. "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 JOHN 5:4). God sent his Holy Spirit to put faith into our hearts. Our faith stands firm against Satan, the world, and our own flesh.
F. You and I and every believer can rejoice and celebrate the fact that our gracious God, our heavenly Father, wants ALL things to work out for our good. This is God’s promise to and for every believer. Our heavenly Father’s guarantee is that everything is meant for our good never for our harm. We remember that the ways and plans of our God are far higher than our ways and plans. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (JEREMIAH 28:11). Be thankful that with the Lord our God there is forgiveness. God’s eternal plans mean that we have hope and are given a future. Our souls are at peace with God because he has given us his divine, forgiving grace. We now know God’s plans for us. God has plans for us to live with him forever in heaven. Along the way our loving Father can and may also bless us with earthly blessings.
CONC: Joseph was treated terribly by his older brothers. They hated Joseph almost to the point of death. Joseph lived apart from family and friends during his formative years. Joseph was mistreated, falsely accused, falsely imprisoned, and forgotten behind bars. In the end Joseph forgives. Remember, who is our brother? Jesus is our brother. Our brother Jesus forgives. The innocent life, death and resurrection of Jesus shows each of us God’s grace. God’s plan was to have his Son pay for all our sins. "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him" (ROMNAS 4:7,8). Christians, our sins are no longer counted against us. This is God’s grace. This is God’s plan. GOD FORGIVES. Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
PENT. 17 rdgs:
EXODUS 32:7-14;
1 TIMOTHY 1.12-17;
LUKE 15:1-10;
(PSALM 51)
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