Betrayed
Genesis 37-50
The Lord may not have intended this to overtake me, but He has most certainly allowed it. Therefore, even though it is an attack from the enemy, it has passed through His loving care, and therefore all is well.
1. Get real v.19
2. Get perspective v.20
The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission.
3. Give redemption v.21
Story of someone betrayed (spouse/business partner/dad?/military)
Genesis 37 . This morning we continue our series entitled ‘Wrecked.’ We’re in this series because frankly, for many of us, our lives ARE wrecked. You might recall in our series on prayer called Circle Maker (logo), we asked folks to write on card stock what they were going to draw a circle around and pray daily for until God answered one way or the other. I gathered those up at the end of the day and have been praying through them. I finished this week. They are gut-wrenching and heart-breaking: Praying for my marriage; praying for my addicted daughter; praying for my gay son; praying that we don’t lose our house; praying for my husband’s salvation; praying for my despair after my divorce.
Last week we talked about the storms of life; how things can be going along pretty well and then the storm clouds appear on the horizon, the winds begin to blow, the waves begin to swell, and we find ourselves in a storm. If you were not here last week, I encourage you to watch or listen to the podcast. I rarely say that, but I’m saying it now. Go online and listen/watch the podcast from last week. Every believer needs to hear what we talked about last week and it sets up the rest of the series. You won’t get the full impact of these messages if you don’t understand the truths of that 1st message.
At the end of last week, we had you move to one of the nine black boards throughout the worship center to write your storm on them. And here they are. We’re going to leave them up thru this series as a reminder that while we are in the storm, God is greater than the storm. Your storm didn’t catch God by surprise. God can accomplish things in a storm that He can’t really any other time. And the storm doesn’t mean you’re wicked; doesn’t mean God doesn’t love you.
Many of you asked that I post on FB the plaque I used to hang on my wall:
The Lord may not have intended this to overtake me, but He has most certainly allowed it. Therefore, even though it is an attack from the enemy, it has passed through His loving care, and therefore all is well.
BTW, each morning I am posting by Twitter on Facebook an insight from our daily devotional we’re doing together. If you haven’t gotten the book (on screen) 90 days of God’s Goodness, get it, read these 2-3 page devotions with us, check in on Facebook each morning and let’s got through this together.
This morning we take a look at something that is all to common in our lives and when it happens, it creates a strange and awful emotion inside of us. And that is betrayal. Everybody in the room has been betrayed. Stroll back on memory lane and think about when you’ve been betrayed. Maybe your ex betrayed you, or your company or boss betrayed you, or a good friend betrayed you, or your adult child betrayed you. Mother in law betrayed your love. Or someone betrayed your trust.
When you are betrayed, what do you feel? Anger. Hurt. And one more thing: vengeance! There is a part of us that wants the other person to feel pain; even be destroyed. It’s an ugly response to an ugly situation.
One of the best examples of betrayal is found in the life and story of a young man named Joseph. Now you might recall that Joseph was one of 12 brothers. His dad was a guy named Jacob, who God later named Israel.
We pick up the story in Genesis 37:1-8 (on screen)
v.2 Doesn’t say what these guys had done, but Joseph tattled on them; as a loyal son he felt it was his duty to inform his dad that they had done something wrong.
v.3 Favoritism by a parent always ends up bad for everyone. As a parent, each of my kids said I favored the others over them. Ben said…Brit said…Brad said… That’s a pretty good indication I didn’t play favorites. Jacob unwisely gave Joseph the best clothing. They got drab brown bath robes to wear while Joseph got the latest fashion robe from the Land’s End catalogue. This did not go over well with the brothers.
v.5 We have an axiom, a saying among our staff: “You can’t fix stupid!” This kid was ate up with stupid.
So guess what happens? The brothers come up with an ambush to kill Joseph. At the last minute, Reuben, the oldest, talked them out of murder and so the grabbed him, and threw him in a pit. Then when a caravan came by, they sold him as a slave for 20 pieces of silver.
Time does not permit me to detail all of the pain and suffering that Joseph incurred as a result of this betrayal, but for years and years, Joseph’s life was a storm of more betrayal and more pain and more suffering. And so you would think that the story would end with Joseph being a bitter, spiteful man.
But instead, this story has a great ending. Years later, when that region of the world was suffering a horrible drought, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt because they had heard Egypt had put back grain for 7 years. If you know the story, after his decades of suffering, Joseph had been put in charge of preparing for the drought that he had had a dream about. The brothers didn’t know this; in fact, they didn’t know what happened to their brother after they sold him into slavery.
So in the sovereignty of God, these brothers, who had betrayed their brother and sold him into slavery, ended up back before him with their lives in his hands. When they recognized that it was Joseph who was 2nd only to Pharoah, what do you think they thought? “Oh crap! We’re done. He’s going to feed us to the lions or worse.”
That’s what I would have done. If I’d been Joseph and my own family, my own blood, the ones who should have looked beyond my fault and seen my need and exercised a little patience with my imperfections, but didn’t, and betrayed me like that, and caused me all that pain and all that suffering—and now they stand before me and I have the power to inflict the same pain and suffering on them…
But that’s not what happened. Look at 50:16-21 (on screen)
v.17 You see what’s happening here…they have no basis to claim forgiveness so they appeal to the words of their father who wanted mercy for them.
v.18 Joseph wept. Why did he weep? This is actually the 4th time that Joseph weeps about this situation. Does that sound like a cold, bitter heart to you? Of course not. Something had happened in Joseph’s life that replaced the bitterness with compassion.
v.21 Can you sense the compassion, the mercy, the grace?
1. Get real v.19 (on screen)
We are so quick to judge others; we are so skilled at holding others to a standard we ourselves cannot keep.
You may be saying, “Pastor, I didn’t sleep around on my spouse; I wasn’t the betrayer.” Ok, that may be true. But that doesn’t change the fact that just because you didn’t betray your spouse, that you are not a betrayer.
We betray God all the time, don’t we? When we hold onto our money instead of tithing and being generous, that is a betrayal. When we don’t give a verbal witness at school or the office, that is a betrayal. When we look to entertainment and activity to fill our souls, that is a betrayal.
Be honest with yourself. We have no stones to throw because truth is we have betrayed the One we are to love the most in the most awful ways. That’s why Jesus went to the cross. So we have no room to judge or hold a grudge against someone who has betrayed us.
When we get real, we get perspective.
2. Get perspective v.20 (on screen)
Ah, this goes back to the sovereignty of God that we talked about last week.
The sovereignty of God is the biblical teaching that all things are under God's rule and control, and that nothing happens without His direction or permission. So if God allowed this, God has something greater He wants to do in you. And if we cooperate with Him, He uses that to do something great in others.
In this case, the 11 brothers and their children’s lives were saved. And these 12 families, 12 tribes ended up going back to Canaan, the land of milk and honey that God had promised Abraham centuries before.
Story./testimony
When we get real and get perspective, we’re in a position to give redemption.
3. Give redemption v.21 (on screen)
Joseph was living in the redemption of God and because He was living in the redemption of God, he was able to give redemption to his brothers.
It may sound a bit odd that I said we should give redemption. Redemption you might say, is God’s to give.
Exactly. Through Jesus we have been forgiven; that forgiveness initiates our redemption. And when we forgive someone who has betrayed us, truly forgiven, then we actually initiate a form of redemption in their lives and our lives
Time magazine had an article called, "Should all be forgiven?" The headline: "Giving up that grudge can be good for your health. Researchers are pioneering a new science of redemption based on the old form of grace." Time Magazine Scientists are finally figuring out what the Bible's been teaching for two thousand years. You don't hold on to a hurt and enjoy life. You've got to let it go. Not because they deserve it, but because you want to get on with your life.
“I know there are people who believe you should forgive and forget. For the record, I'd like to say I'm a big fan of forgiveness as long as I'm given the opportunity to get even first.” Sue Grafton
“Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.” Chris Jami
“Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
The Bible says,
“And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors.” Matthew 6:12
“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1
“But Pastor Russ, you don’t know what they did to me” You’re right! But God does. Their betrayal against you doesn’t compare to your betrayal against Him. And God says, “Forgive. Grant mercy. Be compassionate. Give redemption—that’s what I’ve done for you.”
Closing Story
