Brentwood
Baptist Church
People finding God
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8 SERMONS on JOSEPH
1. The Hidden Dangers of Multicoloured Coats Gen 37:1-11
2. The people God uses – grace abounding! Genesis 37-38
3. "There's another fine mess you've got me into!!" Genesis 39
4. Interpretations belong to God - tell me your dreams Genesis 40
5. Joseph the Saviour Genesis 41
6. The cost of forgiveness Genesis 50:20
7. Repentance - the challenge to change Genesis 42-44
8. The Power of Blessings (Genesis 49:1-28)
1. The Hidden Dangers of Multicoloured Coats Gen 37:1-11Best known story in OT ??? Examples to follow + sins to avoid - this is definitely a A sin to avoid - favouritism
Worst possible example of favouritism - Gen 37:3-4 v3-4 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. God shows no favouritism –BUT, you may say, surely having a "chosen people", a special people is exactly that - favouritism! This is a criticism often levelled against God of OT - he wasnt fair to everyone else. NOT SO: - favouritism = treating one person or a special group of people in ways you should treat all people
e.g. Jacob/Israel and Joseph - vv 3-4
Jacob/Israel owed ALL his sons the same love and affection - they should have ALL been given multicoloured coats. So Jacob was being unfair to the others when he singled Joseph out for special treatment. But God doesn’t owe any human beings ANYthing - except punishment and judgement! If we got what was FAIR none of us would receive anything from God. Choosing a special people was not an act of favouritism but an act of mercy, an act of grace.
Romans 2:5-11 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God ``will give to each person according to what he has done''. 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favouritism.
In all the ways He deals with human beings God is ALWAYS impartial - always fair. God has no favourites!! God is no respecter of persons!
Acts 10:34-35 34 ¶ Then Peter began to speak: ``I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
There’s a wonderful story about a Chicago bank that once asked for a letter of recommendation on a young Bostonian being considered for employment. The Boston investment house could not say enough about the young man. His father, they wrote, was a Cabot; his mother was a Lowell. Further back was a happy blend of Saltonstalls, Peabodys, and other of Boston’s first families. His recommendation was given without hesitation. Several days later, the Chicago bank sent a note saying the information supplied was altogether inadequate. It read: “We are not contemplating using the young man for breeding purposes. Just for work.”
God is no respecter of persons, but accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom (Acts 10:34-35).
Favouritism – a sin to avoid! The stories of the Old Testament are often so down to earth and practical. What lessons for us are there in this story of how Jacob spoiled Joseph?
NO favouritism in the familyWarning to us as individuals, especially as PARENTS. If we treat one child differently from the others all we will get is jealousy and trouble. And there’s a lesson there too for teachers / pastors / youth workers! Be fair! Treat all your children equally, all your pupils according to the same standards. That doesn’t always mean treating them the SAME – but always fairly! NO favouritism in societyA warning against injustice in society:- 26 specific references to favouritism or partiality in Bible - almost 600 to justice and injustice in society:
Jacob/Joseph is clear example of why partiality and favouritism, injustice and unfairness can be so damaging – and so it’s no surprise that the Jewish Law is full of warnings against favouritism.
Deut 10:17-18, 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.
2 Chron 19:5-7 5 ¶ He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. 6 He told them, ``Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. 7 Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.''
Lev 19:15 ```Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favouritism to the great, but judge your neighbour fairly.
Deut 1:16-17a, And I charged your judges at that time: Hear the disputes between your brothers and judge fairly, whether the case is between brother Israelites or between one of them and an alien. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for judgment belongs to God.
There are so many instances of favouritism and injustice even in British society. When the judges and the law courts treat people differently depending on their upbringing or their education, that is injustice. When the treatment a person gets in their workplace depends on the colour of their skin, or on their gender, there is injustice. When the quality of health care depends not upon a person’s need but upon how rich they are, that is injustice. When people who have disabilities suffer discrimination, there is injustice. But as God’s people, as Christians, we should be working for justice in society. We should be praying against injustice. We should be a prophetic voice against unfairness. And NT also carries its warnings!
Eph 6:9 (for employers?) 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favouritism with him.
1 Tim 5:21 for pastors context of church leadership and church discipline:- 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism. tension as minister: difficulty of forming close friendships
Christians should be working and even fighting for justice and impartiality in every area of society – starting in the church:
NO favouritism in the churchJacob and Joseph warns us about How we treat newcomers and visitors coming in to the church
James 2:1-4, 8-9 1 ¶ My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ``Here's a good seat for you,'' but say to the poor man, ``You stand there'' or ``Sit on the floor by my feet,'' 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ``Love your neighbour as yourself,'' you are doing right. 9 But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as law-breakers.
Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his autobiography that during his student days he was interested in the Bible. Deeply touched by reading the gospels, he seriously considered becoming a convert. Christianity seemed to offer the real solution to the caste system that was dividing the people of India. So one Sunday he went to a church to see the minister and ask for instruction on the way of salvation and other Christian doctrines. But when he entered the sanctuary, the ushers refused him a seat and suggested that he go and worship with his own people. He left and never went back. “If Christians have caste differences also,” Gandhi wrote, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” –
We must be very careful to welcome visitors and guests properly – NO FAVOURITISM!
How we treat other Christians
The warnings against favouritism affect how we treat Christians of other denominations and other congregations too. We need to see the formation of Churches Together in Brentwood as a fresh start in our relationships with other churches.
And it affects how we treat "other" Christians in our own Church - other groups in "OUR" church
1 Corinthians 3:3-7 3: You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, ``I follow Paul,'' and another, ``I follow Apollos,'' are you not mere men? 5 ¶ What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe- as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.
Dangers of division are always there: - Old and young : established Christians and newer Christians: traditional Christians and "spirit-filled" Christians: those "in the know" about church procedures and those who havent a clue about our weird Baptist ways of doing things: there should be NO favouritism no partiality, no cliques, no party spirit, no “in-crowds”!
A story from the animal kingdom. When a group of wild horses face attack, they stand in a circle facing each other and, with their back legs, kick out at the enemy. But donkeys do just the opposite; they face the enemy and kick each other! Favouritism turns Christians into donkeys!
God has no favourites – nor should we! No favouritism within our families. No favouritism in society. No favouritism between Christians. Beware the lurking hidden dangers of multicoloured coats!
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2. The people God uses – grace abounding! Genesis 37-38
My old Home Group leader had a favourite expression to sum up the sorry state of humanity. Barry was a teacher, so knew humanity better than most. And he would sum us all up in just one word. One word not just for his pupils, or his colleagues, but for every one of us, Ministers and Elders and Deacons and Home Group Leaders and Church members as well. The best of us and the worst of us all grouped together in just one word. “SCUMBAGS!!!!” Barry would say. “We’re scumbags, every one of us!”
When you look at the story of Joseph, you find out exactly what Barry means! Gen 37-38 gives us a dreadful catalogue of sins to avoid. Jacob / Israel
The rebellious younger twin who stole the birthright of a double portion of inheritance and of the blessing of his father Isaac away from his older brother Esau.
Favouritism (as we saw two weeks ago) : 37: 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
DESPITE ALL THIS, time and again Jacob is linked with his father and grandfather: The God of the Bible is called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob was sill commended as hero of faith in Hebrews 11. When God's people fail Him and break His laws and rebel against Him, he doesnt immediately reject them! “Hero” - Joseph
Lying : 2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
Pride and arrogance: 5. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ``Listen,'' he said, ``I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'' 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ``What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?''
DESPITE ALL THIS Joseph was also a hero of faith - the saviour of his family and indeed the saviour of the whole of Egypt as Pharaoh's right-hand-man when the 7 years of famine followed the 7 years of plenty. Joseph still had some lessons to learn, but God didn't throw him on the scrapheap. God can even use scumbags!! Joseph's brothers
Hatred and jealousy: 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
8 His brothers said to him, ``Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?'' And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Plotting murder: 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 ``Here comes that dreamer!'' they said to each other. 20 ``Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams.''
Kidnapping: 23. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe- the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. As so often happens, what started off as sinful ATTITUDES, hatred, jealousy, soon turned into sinful ACTIONS, murder, kidnapping. Sins to avoid indeed! If that lot wasnt enough, then there's even worse to come!
Selling brother into slavery: 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.'' His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Deception: 31. Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, ``We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe.'' 33 He recognised it and said, ``It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.'' Irony - remember how Jacob had tricked his Father Isaac into giving HIM the blessing which rightly belonged to his older brother Esau "a hairy man" - by wrapping his hand in goatskin . Now the deceiver is himself deceived! Poetic justice! "God is not mocked! You reap what you sow." Serves him right, you may say, BUT
Cruelty to father: 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.
DESPITE ALL THIS, Jacob's sons were still the 12 Patriarchs, the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. Despite all their sins God does not condemn them or reject them, but blesses them and their descendents. God is a loving God, a forgiving God, a patient God, a God who chooses to work even through people like them, and like us!!
Judah
Plotting the selling 26 Judah said to his brothers,`What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood
Immorality with his own daughter-in-law Tamar: Genesis 38 – a whole chapter of wickedness!
Judah went to Canaan to do business and married a Canaanite girl. They had three sons. The first son called Er married a girl called Tamar. But Er was wicked and God was angry with him and killed him. By rights Tamar should have become the wife of Judah's third son, but Judah sent Tamar back to her father's house to live as a widow. So to get her revenge on him, Tamar pretended to be a shrine-prostitute and tricked her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her. (That would be an act of idol-worship in itself, worshipping the false Canaanite gods the Baals). She took his seal and his staff as the pledge for the payment.
Now THIS deceiver was deceived in his turn - like father like son!!!
24. About three months later Judah was told, ``Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.'' Judah said, ``Bring her out and have her burned to death!'' 25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. ``I am pregnant by the man who owns these,'' she said. And she added, ``See if you recognise whose seal and cord and staff these are.'' 26 Judah recognised them and said, ``She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah.''
DESPITE ALL THIS it is from Judah's descendents that God's plan of salvation was worked out. You might have expected it to work through Reuben, Jacob's first-born son, Reuben who tried to rescue Joseph when his brothers were trying to kill him, Reuben who had suggested imprisonment in the cistern rather than murder because he planned to rescue Joseph secretly afterwards. But it WASN'T through Reuben, descendents, nor was it through our hero Joseph's descendents that God would bring salvation to the world. No! JUDAH was the ancestor of great King David. And even more amazing than that .. Matthew 1:3 - genealogy of Christ "Judah, the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar" Judah was the ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the mother of Judah's son Perez was Tamar. The child conceived on the very occasion when Tamar deceived her father-in-law Judah by pretending to be a shrine prostitute, that child was in the ancestral line of David and of Christ. There was an act of blatant immorality (which in years to come would carry the death penalty according to the Law of Moses). But God chose by his grace to overrule and weave even Judah’s sin into His divine plan of salvation.
Favouritism, lying, pride, arrogance, hatred, jealousy, plotting murder, kidnapping, selling into slavery, deception, cruelty, immorality and incest. These were the Patriarchs!! These were the heroes of faith!!! What these chapters do NOT teach us is that God doesn't care about sin, that sin doesnt matter, that the things these brothers did were not wrong. Sin is still sin, whoever commits it. Big sins, little sins all deserve judgement!
What these chapters DO teach us is that we serve a God who will forgive us, who will never throw us on the scrapheap however much we deserve it, who can still use us in His purposes for his glory. Because God is the God of GRACE - whose love is greater than our trangressions. Grace abounding!!
If God can forgive Jacob and his sons, Joseph and his brothers, and even Judah the worst of the lot, then God can forgive us! And if God could use scumbags like them in His divine purposes He can even use scumbags like you and me too! PRAISE GOD!!
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3. "There's another fine mess you've got me into!!" Genesis 39
Laurel and Hardy "There's another fine mess you've got me into!!"
Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery
37: 20 ``Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams.'' 23. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe- the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. … 26 Judah said to his brothers, ``What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.'' His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
But WHY did they hate him so much???
37: 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ``Listen,'' he said, ``I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.'' 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ``What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?''
Prophetic dreams - in a way Joseph could have blamed God for the ways his brothers had treated him - but he didn't!!! Maybe his experiences even taught him a lesson and brough Joseph closer to God? Even in Egypt Joseph stayed close to God - And God blessed him!
Joseph wasn't angry or bitter that he was in exile. As Psalm 37:1-6 commands us to trust in God
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 ¶ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Amd Joseph DID put his trust in God. And this is what happened to him:- 39:2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
But success brings its problems - and its temptations
6 .... Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7. and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, ``Come to bed with me!''
But this time Joseph behaved as a man of God should always do! He stuck to his principles
8 But he refused. ``With me in charge,'' he told her, ``my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No-one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?''
Joseph held out against temptation day after day - and where does it get him???
17 Then she told him this story: ``That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.'' 19. When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, ``This is how your slave treated me,'' he burned with anger. 20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.
Kidnapped. Sold into slavery. Then thrown into prison for something he hadn’t even done!! Proud and arrogant as he had been with his glorious coat of many colours, Joseph didn’t deserve to be treated like that!
But then it's not unusual for men of God to suffer unjustly. Think of all the great heroes of faith who shared Joseph's experiences of imprisonment - Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, the apostles Peter, Paul and Silas, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself of course.
How would Joseph react to this imprisonment??? Would he say "It's not fair?" "I dont deserve this" ??? Would he blame God??? After all if he had abandoned his principles and just slept with his master's wife he wouldn’t be in prison at all!
But Joseph DOESN'T blame God for his sufferings, for the false accusation, for the imprisonment. He continues to trust God, even from behind bars! He stayed close to God and God stayed close to him!
20.... But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warder.
How do WE cope with suffering, disappointment, discouragement? Do we curl up and give up? Do we get angry with God? Do we ever BLAME God when life isn’t working out as we would like it to? I wonder if anyone here today is angry with God, blaming God, for the way their life is working out.
Of course Joseph could have just sunk into depression. Elijah did after the contest with priests of Baal on Mount Carmel. It's so easy to get discouraged and depressed. There's a hymn we occasionally sing - "Count your blessings, name them one by one". Some Christians would rather sing "Count your troubles"
“When you are discouraged, feel that all is lost; Say the prize you're seeking is not worth the cost; Think about your troubles, count them o'er and o'er; Every time you count them, there will be one more.
If there be clear sunshine, think how soon 'til rain; Should it be midsummer, winter comes again; Every glorious sunset ends in dark, dark night; Youth gives way to cheerless age; there's nothing right.
If you see a promise fits you to a "T", Though you hunger for it, cry, "This not for me!" You must bear your burdens, sink beneath the load, For your way to Heaven is a dreary road.
Count your many problems, name them one by one; Think that victory never, never will be won; Cite your many troubles, count them o'er and o'er, All your disappointments and vexations soar.”
How do we deal with our troubles - do we moan and complain? Do we blame God???
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) "Flee a thousand leagues from saying, "I was in the right. It was not right for me to suffer this. They had no right to treat me so." God deliver us from all such rights."
Following God DOESN'T guarantee us an easy life!!! Remember the apostles. If we believe the ancient traditions:-
St. Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia. St. Mark expired at Alexandria, after having been cruelly dragged through the streets of that city. St. Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece. St. John was put into a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterwards banished to Patmos. St. Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward. St. James the Greater was beheaded at Jerusalem. St. James the Less was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club. St. Philip was hanged up against a pillar at Heiropolis in Phrygia. St. Bartholomew was flayed alive. St. Andrew was bound to a cross, where he preached to his persecutors until he died. St. Thomas was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel in the East Indies. St. Jude was shot to death with arrows. St. Matthias was first stoned, and then beheaded. St. Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death by the Jews at Salonica. St. Paul after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero
Acts 14:21-2221 Paul and Barnabas preached the good news in (Derbe) and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ``We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,'' they said.
Sometimes we NEED the sufferings and the opposition to bring us close to God again.
Joni Eareckson Tada “When life is rosy, we may slide by with knowing about Jesus, with imitating him and quoting him and speaking of him. But only in the fellowship of suffering will we KNOW Jesus. We identify with him at the point of his deepest humiliation. The cross, symbol of his greatest suffering, becomes our personal touch-point with the Lord of the universe.”
Sometimes God purposes to USE our sufferings for His glory.
Joni Eareckson Tada “God is a Master Artist. And there are aspects of your life and character—good, quality things—he wants others to notice. So without using blatant tricks or obvious gimmicks, God brings the cool, dark contrast of suffering into your life. That contrast, laid up against the golden character of Christ within you, will draw attention . . . to him. Light against darkness. Beauty against affliction. Joy against sorrow. A sweet, patient spirit against pain and disappointment—major contrasts that have a way of attracting notice. You are the canvas on which he paints glorious truths, sharing beauty, and inspiring others. So that people might see him. “
We need to see our sufferings in an eternal context:-
Martin Luther (16c) “When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death, thinking what are they in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Savior, Christ Jesus.”
Paul in Romans 8:18-24
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved.
The whole of creation straining just to see the sons of God come into their inheritance.
Well at least for Joseph there was a happy ending - God honoured Joseph even in his imprisonment.
20.... But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warder. 22 So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Are you facing suffering or disappointment or discouragement? Are you ever tempted to curl up and give up? Are you angry with God? Are you BLAMING God because life isn’t working out as you wanted it to or expected it to? Remember – the sufferings we have to go through as Christians in comfortable Brentwood are NOTHING compared to the sufferings our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, and many other places around the world, have to suffer even today!!
Through all the fine messes he ended up in, Joseph discovered that if the Lord was with him, it would work out in the end. And that is true for us. Even if our journey through this world may be filled with danger and sadness and pain, as long as God is with us and we stay close to God, our future in glory is safe in God’s hands.
Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
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4. Interpretations belong to God - tell me your dreams Genesis 40
What have Joseph, Abimelech, Jacob, Solomon,and Daniel in common? Oh and Abraham, Laban, the apostle Paul, Joseph the carpenter, the wise men, and Pilate's wife? And Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon , and Pharoah in Egypt, and his cupbearer, and his chief baker? What links all these? They all had very significant dreams!
NOT talking about dreams as hopes, aspirations, things we long for and daydream about to give us encouragement - those dreams are vitally important, we all need those kinds of dreams! But this morning I’m going to talk about images and stories we all experience while we are sleeping, although not all of us can remember the things we dream about very often.
Interpreting dreams is big business today. Psychologists make big fortunes out of it. Followers of New Age spirituality and religions, astrologers, Pagans, wiccans, all write book after book about dreams. Daytime TV and even the Sunday colour supplements have features on interpreting dreams far too often. I do NOT want anyone to be drawn into any of this New Age deception by what I say this morning - but the story of Joseph does hinge in several places on the interpretation of dreams, so I do want to ask "what does the Bible have to say about dreams?"
More than 60 times in pages of Bible God speaks through dreams. We read about Joseph's dreams in Gen 37: in today's story it is other people's dreams which are significant:- Pharoah's cupbearer and his chief baker - in prison with Joseph.
Genesis 40:8 ``We both had dreams,'' they answered, ``but there is no-one to interpret them.'' Then Joseph said to them, ``Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.''
Dreams can have different levels of meaning and significance.
Most dreams are absolutely MEANINGLESS- a jumble of images - Remaking of memories (Crick)
Some dreams may have PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE - dreams may reveal things about our subconscious, our hidden inmost feeings.
“Every dream reveals a psychological structure, full of significance.… The dream is not meaningless, not absurd … it is a perfectly valid phenomenon, actually a … disguised fulfillment of a suppressed wish.” Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
“The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens into that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was a conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.” Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961)
“This whole creation is essentially subjective, and the dream is the theater where the dreamer is at once scene, actor, prompter, stage manager, author, audience, and critic.” Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961)
Different schools of psychology interpret same dream in conflicting ways - but professional psychiatrists MAY have valuable insights. Dreams CAN be THE VOICE of CONSCIENCE
Our conscience is given to all human beings by God to help us know right from wrong. It is part of what makes humans different from animals - part of what it means to be created in the image of God. And sometimes our dreams can be the voice of our conscience speaking to us. Job 33:13-18 (NIV) 14 For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though man may not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, 18 to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.
Matthew Henry:- When God stirred up conscience, that ordinary deputy of his, in the soul, to do its office, he took that opportunity, either when deep sleep fell on men (for, though dreams mostly come from fancy, some may come from conscience) or in slumberings, when men are between sleeping and waking, reflecting at night upon the business of the foregoing day or projecting in the morning the business of the ensuing day; then is a proper time for their hearts to reproach them for what they have done ill and to admonish them what they should do.
This does not mean that when we have a dream which is in some senses wicked, perhaps violent or sexual, we should feel guilty about the dream. Dreams are outside our control - things that we may do in dreams are NOT sins in that sense - we don’t need to feel guilty about them or confess them or repent of the dreams as such. But sometimes a dream may show us a side of our character which we do not like, and which God would not be pleased with, or even bring to light some sins we have committed in real life - and for thoise things repentance and seeking God's grace to become more like Christ are certainly a proper response. Some people have RECURRING UNPLEASANT DREAMS
These may be the result of eating pizza too late at night - or poor sleep patterns generally. But if dreams are particularly nasty then it maybe worth bearing in mind that such dreams in psychologist's terms may be reminding us of traumas in the past which our memory has blocked out. In rare instances extremely evil nightmares may even have a demonic origin, even in Christians because the devil loves to attack us while our defences are down. IF you have recurring unpleasant nightmares which wake you up or are disturbing you please do feel free to discuss these with our Elders or with me - because God wants our sleep and our dreams to be refreshing and pleasant, not disturbing or frightening! Dreams CAN be a REVELATION FROM GOD
Some dreams CAN contain REVELATIONS ABOUT FUTURE EVENTS
Joseph Gen 37:5-10 Joseph's dreams - sheaves of corn bowing down, sun moon and stars bowing down 40:8-9 baker and cupbearer 41:1 Pharaoh's dreams - interpreted by Joseph – next time
Daniel and S, M and A in Dan 1:17, interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dreams in Dan 2 and Dan 4 and Dan 5
PBT - children in church
Dreams CAN contain a MESSAGE FROM GOD, rather than a revelation about future events
This can be God's guidance
Gen 46:2 to Jacob/Israel - a vision at night – “do not be afraid to go down to Egypt”
Acts 16:9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ``Come over to Macedonia and help us.''
CHRISTMAS STORY: Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ``Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ``Get up,'' he said, ``take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.''
Matthew 2:19 . After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt Matthew 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
Or the MESSAGE from GOD can simply be an ENCOURAGEMENT
Abraham - Gen 15:1, 12ff 12 ¶ As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, ``Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and ill-treated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterwards they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age.
Jacob - Gen 28:12 - stairway to heaven at Bethel 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: ``I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.'' 16 ¶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ``Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.'' 17 He was afraid and said, ``How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.''
Solomon 1 Kings 3:5 ff – in a dream God offers to give Solomon anything he wants and Solomon asks for wisdom
Acts 18:9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: `Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent, for I am with you.
Martin Luther had a dream in which he stood on the day of judgment before God Himself--and Satan was there to accuse him. When Satan opened his books full of accusations, he pointed to transgression after transgression of which Luther was guilty. As the proceedings went on, Luther's heart sunk in despair. Then he remembered the cross of Christ--and turning upon Satan, he said, "There is one entry which you have not made, Satan." The Devil retorted, "What is that?" And Luther answered, "It is this--the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sins."
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's progress was set as a Dream. “Our heart oft times wakes when we sleep, and God can speak to that, either by words, by proverbs, by signs and similitudes, as well as if one was awake.” John Bunyan (1628–1688)
Some DREAMS can be WARNINGS from God.
Matthew 27:19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: ``Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.''
There is a close connection in the Bible between DREAMS and VISIONS
Dreams are sometimes called "visions of the night", "visions in the night" - Job 20:8, 33:15, Isa 29:7 Dreams are closely related to visions (visions exactly 100x in Bible) and both are forms of PROPHECY.
Numbers 12:6 (The LORD) said, ``Listen to my words: ``When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
WE can EXPECT God to speak to US through dreams and visions sometimes too, because we have all received the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets..
Joel 2:28 -> Acts 2:17 ```In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
BUT WARNINGS
How do we know when it is God speaking and not just our imagination? 1. Some dreams will be especially vivid and memorable. If we still remember details of a dream some days later it may be from God. 2. It fits with Scripture - God will never say anything to anyone in a dream which contradicts what He has already said to everybody for all time in His written world the Bible.
Interpretations can be wrong!!! Dreams can be misunderstood!!!!!
Jeremiah 27:9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, `You will not serve the king of Babylon.' Zechariah 10:2 The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
We need GOD to tell us what our dreams mean. NOT psychologists. Certainly not New Age dream freaks !!! The Holy Spirit will give the interpretation, if we ask God. And it's always right to check out the interpretation with other and wiser Christians if we think God is speaking to us through a particular dream.
In the Old Testament kings certainly believed that God gave them direction in dreams. If they wanted to know what they were supposed to do in their administration, they would try to receive a direct word from God in their dreams. If they weren't getting any messages in their dreams while lying in their own beds, then they would sleep in the Temple, where they believed it would work better. Perhaps that's why some people go to sleep in church - to hear God better!!
Genesis 40:8 ``We both had dreams,'' they answered, ``but there is no-one to interpret them.'' Then Joseph said to them, ``Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.''
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5. Joseph the Saviour Genesis 41
If you were to sum up the story of Joseph in one sentence, what would you say? Some people might say something like this. "The story of Joseph is the story of how God prospered one spoiled brat from an obscure county to make him one of the most important people in the ancient near east." That would stress for us the goodness of God and his blessing on individuals who trust and serve him. The story would then be a perfect parable for the American enterprise culture, and for Margaret Thatcher’s Britain AND Tony Blair’s Britain too. But I’d like to say that a summary like that would miss the most important point of the whole Joseph story - the most part important as far as the history of the world at that time was concerned anyhow, most important for the millions of Egyptians alive then and for the future of the Egyptian Empire and Culture and its impact on the rise of civilisation. How about a different sentence ..? "The story of Joseph is the story of how God used one of his servants to save the nation of Egypt and the whole surrounding region from death and disaster when the seven years of famine struck."
We can become so individualistic in our reading of the Bible - what does this story say to ME ? To Christians? So individualistic that we miss the point of what the Scriptures are saying to the NATIONS, to the whole WORLD! Surely the story of Joseph is not just about Joseph. It's greatest importance lies in telling us of just one occasion when God in His mercy intervened in the history of the world. It’s the story of how Joseph became the Saviour not only of Egypt, but of the whole of the Ancient Near East!
Note how severe the tragedy was destined to be.
28 `` God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. 31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32 The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.
Genesis makes clear that the famine is in God's hands - it is something that GOD will do. Perhaps, like the plagues of Egypt which would come 500 years later, it is the hand of God in Judgement on the false gods the Egyptians worshipped instead of worshipping the one true and living God. Perhaps it was part of God's cosmic masterplan to humble nations like Egypt and bring them back to their Creator again. Today we’ll dodge the question of WHY God permits, or even purposes, natural disasters - not so much because I spoke on that question earlier in the year, but simply because Genesis gives us no answers to that question ! Instead we see in Genesis 41 the great mercy of God - that even though the famine was pre-determined, God was also acting to bring salvation within it. Through that spoiled brat Joseph, God would make sure that the suffering and damage from that famine was minimised.
Note how God had brought his servant into a position where he could be used in this way. Dreams in Canaan - envy of brothers Sold into slavery Imprisoned by potiphar's wife's false allegations Brought into contact with Pharaoh's cupbearer to interpret HIS dream 2 years before.
God was doing 2 things with Joseph in all those years - 1. Bringing him into right place at right time, intricate chain of events all so that he could be introduced to Pharaoh at the proper time 2. God was preparing Joseph - humbling him by rejection, slavery, imprisonment, changing him so that this spoiled brat could be used by God when the time came.
God DOES care about individuals, he does work in individual lives, but not just to bless US. God is to change US into the kind of people He can use for HIs glory, AND ALSO God is working to bring US to the right place at the right time for his purposes.
8 In the morning Pharaoh's mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no-one could interpret them for him. 9. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ``Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. 10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. 13 And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.'' 14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh.
As part of God's plan, God brought Joseph out of prison to interpret Pharaoh's dreams. But The plan didnt end with that warning. Joseph would have an even more important role in saving Egypt from disaster. 33. ``And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.'' 37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, ``Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?'' 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ``Since God has made all this known to you, there is no-one so discerning and wise as you.
God put Joseph into a position where Pharaoh would trust him, a foreigner, only 30 years old, to save the whole nation. And Pharaoh trusted Joseph - because he saw that He had the Spirit of God in him. Even the pagan Egyptians could see the Spirit of God in Joseph. Interesting how closely "the Spirit of God" is linked here with interpreting dreams!!!
Before I went on holiday we thought about the 60 or so places in Scripture where God spoke through dreams. We thought how our conscience can speak to us in dreams -
Job 33:14 For God does speak--now one way, now another-- though man may not perceive it. 15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, 16 he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, 17 to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, 18 to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.
We also thought about the many occasions in scripture when dreams gave revelations of future events, for Joseph, Pharaoh and his cupbearer and chief baker, Nebuchadnezzar, . Or how dreams gave guidance to Joseph and Mary to keep them safe from Herod, or to Paul in his vision of a man from Macedonia saying "Come across and help us". We though how dreams give encouragenment and reassurance to Abraham and Jacob and Paul and warnings to like here to Pharaoh or to Pilate's wife. We were reminded that it is the Holy Spirit of God who speaks through dreams and gives the interpretation of them, and that He can speak to US in the same way. Speak Lord, your servants are listening!
Joel 2:28 -> Acts 2:17 ```In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions; your old men will dream dreams.
Pharaoh knew the Spirit of God was upon Joseph, because he was given the interpretation of dreams! So God blessed Joseph and used him and his wisdom to save Egypt.
46. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh's presence and travelled throughout Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. 48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
This was GOD's provision for the whole nation of Egypt. Because God cared for the Egyptians. He didnt want THEM to suffer!!!
53 The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ``Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.'' 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
So Joseph became literally the Saviour for Egypt. God rescued the Egyptians and the whole of the Ancient Near East from disaster in very concrete physical ways.
In earlier generations preachers would devote whole books and sermon series to comparisons between Joseph and the Lord Jesus Christ. They found at least 30 very significant comparisons between Joseph as physical Saviour of Egypt and Jesus as spiritual Saviour of the World. They saw Joseph as a TYPE or a PATTERN for Christ. Here are some of those comparisons:-
1. Joseph was sent to his brothers. The Lord Jesus Christ was sent to His brethren, the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 2. Joseph was hated by his brothers without a cause, and this is what the Lord Jesus says about Himself, "They hated me without a cause." 3. Joseph was sold by his own brothers, and the Lord Jesus was sold by one of His own twelve apostles. 4. Joseph was sold for twenty pieces of silver. The Lord Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver. 5. The brothers plotted to kill Joseph. God’s own chosen people plotted to kill the Lord Jesus – 6. Joseph was put into the pit which was meant to be a place of death for him. The Lord Jesus was crucified. 7. Joseph was raised up out of that pit. The Lord Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day. 8. Joseph obeyed his father. The Lord Jesus obeyed His Father so that He could say that He always did the things which pleased His Father. 9. Joseph's father had sent him to seek his brethren. We are told that the Lord Jesus Christ came to do the will of His Father when he came. 10. Joseph was mocked by his brothers. When they saw him coming, they said, "Behold, this dreamer cometh." The Lord Jesus was mocked. When He was on the Cross, they said, "If He be the Christ, let Him come down now from the cross." 11. The brothers refused to receive Joseph, and the brethren of the Lord Jesus, the Jews, refused to receive Him. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." 12. They took counsel to kill Joseph, and we are told they took counsel to plot the death of the Lord Jesus. 13. Joseph's coat dripping with blood was returned to his father. They took the coat of the Lord Jesus and gambled for it. 14. After Joseph was sold into Egypt, he was lost sight of for many years. Christ ascended up into heaven. He told His disciples that they should see Him no more until His return. 15. Joseph was tempted by the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and he resisted. The Lord Jesus was tempted by the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and He won the victory. 16. Joseph became the savior of the world during this period, in the physical sense -- he saved them from starvation. The Lord Jesus Christ in every sense is the Savior of the whole world. 17. Joseph was hated by his brothers, and they delivered him to foreigners. He couldn't defend himself, and he was unjustly accused. The Lord Jesus was also delivered by His own to the religious rulers who in turn delivered Him to the Gentiles. He was innocent. 18. Pilate did not believe the accusation which was brought against the Lord Jesus. He found Him innocent, yet he scourged Him. And Joseph had to suffer although Potiphar probably knew that he was innocent. Potiphar had to keep up a front before Pharaoh as Pilate had to keep up a front before Caesar. 19. Joseph found favor in the sight of the jailer. And in the case of Jesus, the Roman centurion said of Him, "Truly, this was the Son of God." 20. Joseph was numbered with the transgressors. He was a blessing to the butler, and he was judgment for the baker. The Lord Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One thief was judged and the other thief was blessed. 21. Joseph was 30 when he began his work for Pharaoh. Jesus was 30 when He began His ministry. 22. Joseph was the one who had the bread! Jesus is the bread of life!!!
So Joseph became the Saviour for Egypt and all the surrounding regions, as many years before the birth of Christ as we are living after it.
And that reminds us that we serve a God who cares about ALL people - not just about his chosen people, his special people, but ALL people! All that happened to Joseph wasnt just for HIS benefit, nor even to fulfil God's promises to the Patriarchs Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and his descendents forever.
Gen 50:20 (Joseph to his brothers) You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
It was all for God's glory - TO SAVE MANY LIVES
So we are also humbled when we remember that God is the God of the nations, the great God who is not just Lord of those who acknowledge Him as Lord, but King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Lord of all!!!
Isaiah 40:15, 17, 21-24 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust. 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. 18 ¶ To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
THIS is the God whom we serve - the God who is not just concerned to bless US, to make OUR lives comfortable, but who IS concerned with floods in Bangladesh and Venezuela, and the 5 million homes destroyed by Hurricane Mitch, and the AIDS epidemic in Africa. God IS concerned about peace in the Middle East and Bosnia and Kosova and Northern Ireland. And God loves every child and orphan in all these places , JUST AS MUCH, JUST AS MUCH, as he loves US and OUR own children.
The story of Joseph is NOT about the ways God will bless us if we trust in Him. "The story of Joseph is the story of how God used one of his servants to save the nation of Egypt and the whole surrounding region from death and disaster when the seven years of famine struck." So the story of Joseph also points forward to God’s gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, who is an even more wonderful Saviour to us than Joseph was for Egypt. And the story of Joseph stirs us to cry out in prayer to our God who is King and Kings and Lord of Lords for the great needs of this rebellious world today!!
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6. THE COST OF FORGIVENESS Genesis 50:20
Have you ever been hurt by someone else? Really hurt? Maybe had your life wrecked by something that another person or people did to you? By lies? Or desertion? Or violence? Or betrayal? Then this message is for you! Or maybe you would have to admit that you have done such a thing to another person. Then this is for you as well! Because the story of Joseph's life is just such a story.
THE STORY SO FAR …..
Joseph had a more troubled life than most. Spoiled by his father Jacob/Israel - hated by his brothers. Genesis 37 :4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. . 11 His brothers were jealous of him
Not just jealous - 18 They plotted to kill him. 19 ``Here comes that dreamer!'' they said to each other. 20 ``Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. 23. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe- the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.
Thrown down a well - but then at least he didnt get abandoned to die a lingering death. 26 Judah said to his brothers, ``What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
Betrayed and sold into slavery. But despite what brothers had done to him Joseph stayed close to God - kept on trusting! Genesis 39: 2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant.
All seemed to have worked out ok - but then the second great disaster 6 ... Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7. and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, ``Come to bed with me!'' 8 But he refused. 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even to be with her.
Joseph stuck to his principles – but his master’s wife tried to blackmail him, then falsely accused him and he ended up in jail! Imprisoned on trumped up charges! But Joseph still trusted God 20 While Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warder. 22 So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
While in prison Joseph interpreted the dreams of two fellow-prisoners, Pharaoh's cupbearer and his chief baker, and the cupbearer was released. But it was two years later when Pharaoh had disturbing dreams about seven fat cows and seven thin cows, and seven good ears of corn and seven worthless ears of corn. Joseph was brought out of prison to interpret the dreams. They warned of a famine and Pharaoh appointed Joseph to make preparations as rescue Egypt from the seven years of famine which would follow the seven years of plenty. 38 Pharaoh asked them, ``Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?'' 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ``Since God has made all this known to you, there is no-one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.'' 41 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ``I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.'' 56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. 57 And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.
Another happy ending! So it was that even Jacob and his other 11 sons came to Egypt to buy food from Joseph. The family settled in Egypt, but many years later the father Jacob died. And now it was crunch time - would Joseph forgive his brothers??? Or was he still holding a grudge. Deep inside did he still have some horrible revenge plotted? Thrown into a pit, sold into slavery to be come one of "the disappeared". And on top of that two years in jail in Egypt for a crime he hadnt even committed! You might imagine Joseph would be a bit miffed! Resentful. Angry. Vindictive.
Gen 50: 15. 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?'' 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, ``Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 `This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.'' When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. ``We are your slaves,'' they said.
We looked last week at the two steps of repentance. We saw that true repentance is always ultimately expressed in living a changed life, in going and sinning no more. We also saw that the starting point is recognising that we need to repent, acknowledging and bewailing our manifold sin and wickedness, and confessing our sin to God. This week we are reminded that, if in our sinning we have hurt others, through ignorance, through weakness or through our own deliberate fault, then part of confessing our sin must be to apologise to the person we have hurt, to seek to be reconciled to that person.
And at least Joseph’s brothers did the honourable thing. They went to confess to Joseph. They went to apologise. They went to seek reconciliation.
Have you ever hurt somebody, really upset somebody? Im sure you have. I know I have - we all have at some time or another. Maybe you have even done something which has changed and even wrecked somebody else’s life as Joseph's brothers had done to him? Maybe it wasnt something that serious. But the example of scripture here is very clear. We must go and ask forgiveness from the person we have hurt. This is what the brothers did. “I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.''
Too often we are content to let sleeping dogs lie- to hope the other person will forgive us but never get round to admitting that we were wrong. In rare circumstances that maybe the best thing to do - to make sure that they aren't hurt still further - to avoid opening up old wounds. But usually, the scriptures tell us, that is NOT the right thing to do. Usually what we should do when we know we have hurt another person is apologise to them. Sometimes we just paper over cracks in relationships with others - leave them still hurting. We need to do as Joseph's brothers did - to acknowledge our guilt - not only to confess our to God and ask for His forgiveness, but confess it to the other person and ask for their forgiveness as well. This is what Jesus commands us in sermon on Mount.
Matt 5:23-24: ``Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
What about people YOU have hurt? or betrayed? or turned away? Are you prepared to do whatever you need to do in order to be reconciled to them?
– PAUSE for reflection
So Joseph's brothers come to ask for forgiveness. But how would Joseph respond - he was second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. He could have his revenge - he could have them imprisoned or even put to death.
Genesis 50:19 But Joseph said to them, ``Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Joseph saw the big picture. He saw beyond what his brothers had done to him, the ways they had rejected and hurt and got rid of him. he saw behind all these things God's master-plan. How God had allowed these things for a reason. Joseph saw his life from God's eternal perspective. Sometimes when people hurt us badly we find it impossible to forgive them. Or we say "I can forgive, but I won't forget!" Like Joseph, we need to see the big picture. I'm not saying that God WANTS us to be hurt or betrayed. But he does ALLOW these things to happen - and He can bring good out of them.
45: 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, ``Come close to me. I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, 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. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be ploughing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 ``So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.
Joseph was able to look back and see the hand of God at work, even in those times when he himself had suffered terribly physically and emotionally. In every tragedy “you can look at what you've lost and be hateful, or you can look at what you have left and be grateful”. Joseph was a grand example of choosing to be grateful instead of hateful. "Ah, but it was easy for Joseph" you will say. "He already had the happy ending!!" There he was, a spoiled brat from Canaan grown up to become the big cheese in Egypt. It was easy for him to see God at work in his life!
It may not be so easy to see why God allows us to suffer or to be hurt when we are in the middle of things. It may only be years later, with hindsight that we can say "YOU did this to me, but God intended it for good - and this is the good that came out of that hurtful situation." We may NEVER in this life understand why God our loving Heavenly Father allows some things to happen to His children. But the Bible encourages us to trust like Joseph did in the love and wisdom and righteousness of our faithful loving God. GENESIS 50:20 "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good "
God IS Sovereign. God IS in control over every one of our lives. And we are encouraged to trust HIM and trust his cosmic masterplan - even when we don't understand what is happening to us.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 ¶ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. …… 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …… 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember who wrote those words - the apostle Paul who was himself imprisoned, flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked 3 times, 24 hours floating adrift in the open sea, he could still write Romans 8:28 Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
PAUSE - think about your life - think about the things which have hurt you - stop and look for the mighty hand of God behind all that has happened to you - trust HIM to bring good out of evil, to turn your mourning into gladness, your sorrow into joy, your sadness into dancing (Isa 51:11, Jer 31:13).
So how does the story end? We know the story has a happy ending for Joseph. But did it have a happy ending for his brothers. Did Joseph forgive his brothers? Of course he did. 21 "So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.'' And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Joseph had forgiven his brothers even BEFORE they came to apologise. He had forgiven them even before they repented. And in just the same way, God commands US to forgive each other as God in Christ has forgiven us - to love each other as much as Christ has loved us. Forgiveness like that is not easy – it costs us dearly in love and humility and openness. But the price of OUR forgiveness was Christ’s death on the cross for us. Forgiving others NEVER costs us THAT much!
The secret of that kind of forgiveness lies in two things – it comes from recognising just how much God has forgiven us, AND it comes from seeing the mighty hand of God in control of all of our lives. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good " Joseph said.
Of course, as CS Lewis put it, "Everybody thinks that forgiveness is a great idea until he has something to forgive!! I know that a few folk in the church may well be feeling that they have been hurt too much; that they can NEVER forgive what somebody else has done to them. Especially if the hurt is recent, if the wounds are still open, forgiving somebody else can seem impossible. The closer the other person is to you, the more you trusted them, then the more you will be hurting. Don’t feel guilty if you find it hard to forgive right now. It is only by God’s grace that any of us can truly forgive others. We can only look to God to give us the strength and grace that we need – and that grace may not be given today. It took Joseph years to get to the point where he could forgive his brothers! But we can still pray that God will give us (one day, if not yet give us) the grace we need to forgive other people who have hurt us, however much it may hurt!! And if we have hurt others, may God give each of us the grace we need to humble ourselves and say sorry and seek to be reconciled to them.
I once visited house - boy with sticking plaster on finger - still hurting. He had dropped a glass which had broken and cut his finger on pieces. Could have just left him with sore finger, but felt brave enough to remove plaster. As cut was beginning to scab over, there underneath was a splinter of glass embedded in finger. Used tweezers to remove the glass - put on new plaster - finger stopped hurting and healed perfectly in a day or two.
Where we have hurt other people, or where other people have hurt us, we may put a plaster over the top to hide the wound. But if there is no recognition of hurt and no apology and no reconciliation then that is just like leaving the splinter of glass inside – there can be no healing. That wound gets in the way of fellowship and worship and the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives. And if the person who has been hurt refuses to forgive from the heart, then again it is like leaving the splinter of glass inside the cut – it will always be painful and sensitive and never heal properly.
We may feel guilty. We may be hurting. God is calling us this morning to get the splinters of glass out!!!!
Response in prayer – who do you need to be reconciled to – who have YOU hurt, offended, upset? Who do you need to forgive? Even if they have never apologised or said sorry.
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7. Repentance - the challenge to change Genesis 42-44
There are 2 truths which we need to keep in minds at once and cling to equally firmly: mustn’t neglect either! 1. God loves us and accepts us just as we are; but at same time, 2. God loves us too much to leave us as we are - He works in us to change us and He calls us to change!
There are these 2 sides to our salvation God's side - God's grace forgiving our sin and giving us free gift of eternal life OUR side - repentance - turning away from sin - and receiving God's gift by faith
17th cent. John Milton Repentance is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity.
Three incidents in Story of Joseph teach us true meaning of repentance - highlight for us 2 separate steps in repentance. And these stories focus, not on Joseph, but on his wicked brothers. Repentance means being sorry for our sin
7 years of Famine followed 7 years of plenty. Jacob's sons, Joseph's brothers went down from land of Canaan to buy grain from Egypt. They didnt realise that it was Joseph who was Pharaoh's right hand man who would be selling them the grain! Joseph had to see whether they were still the same scumbags who had plotted to kill him, torn his multicoloured coat from his back, thrown him into a well to a slow lingering death but then sold him to be a slave instead. Were his brothers still villains - or had they changed?? Did they regret the way they had treated him at all? Or had they forgotten him completely? Joseph recognised his brothers, but they didnt recognise him. So Joseph treated his brothers harshly and accused them of being spies, to test them, to see if they realised yet the wrong they had done..
42: 17 And he put them all in custody for three days. 18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, ``Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.'' This they proceeded to do. 21. They said to one another, ``Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us.'' 22 Reuben replied, ``Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.'' 23 They did not realise that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
So Joseph knew that his brothers had acknowledged their sin - they realised what they had done was evil, and that they deserved to be punished. That's the first step in repentance. Being sorry for our sin.
It is one thing to mourn for sin because it exposes us to hell, and another to mourn for it because it is an infinite evil; one thing to mourn for it because it hurts US, and another thing to mourn for it because it is wrong and offensive to GOD. It is one thing to be terrified; quite another, to be humbled.
GODLY SORROW THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE 2 Cor 7: 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it--I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while-- 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.
That's the first step in repentance - to recognise our sin and to be sorry for it "to acknowledge and bewail our manifold sin and wickedness". But sometimes we can be tempted to stop there - we've been sorry for sin, we've admitted it to God (and occasionally if appropriate to our minister, or to other Christians, or to the people we have hurt by our sins!). But that's only the first step in repentance. There is a second step which sometimes we can forget about!
Repentance means living changed lives
John Locke :- “Repentance is a hearty sorrow for our past misdeeds, and a sincere resolution and an endeavor to the utmost of our power, to conform all our actions to the law of God. It does not consist in one single act of sorrow, but in doing works meet for repentance; in a sincere obedience to the law of Christ for the remainder of our lives.”
Repentance isn’t just being sorry for your sins. Repentance is being sorry enough to quit! “Produce fruits in keeping with repentance,” as John the Baptist demanded. “Go and sin no more!” as Jesus told the woman who was caught in adultery.
So Joseph set two tests for his brothers - to see if they really were changed men - if they really were sorry enough to quit and mend their evil ways!
Genesis 43 - The test of HONESTY
Years before the brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, and deceived their father Jacob into believeing that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. Had they changed yet? Were they now honest? Here was the test. Joseph arranged that the silver the brothers used to pay for grain would be put back into their sack again - so they would get the grain for nothing. Would they keep quiet about this? Or would they own up and offer to pay again? When they went back for more grain again their father Jacob told the brothers what they had to do.
Jacob said 43:12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to Joseph's house. They thought, ``We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.'' 19 So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20 ``Please, sir,'' they said, ``we came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver- the exact weight- in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks.'' 23 ``It's all right,'' he said. ``Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.''
The brothers showed they were now honest, men of integrity, not the lying rats of years before..
“To move across from one sort of person to another is the essence of repentance: the liar becomes truthful; the thief, honest; the lewd, pure; the proud, humble.” A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)
Falling into sin doesn't condemn anybody, but staying in it does. A visitor at a fishing dock asked an old fisherman who was sitting there, "If I were to fall into this water, would I drown?" "Naw," he said. "Fallin' into the water doesn't drown anybody. It's staying under the water that kills you!" Repentance isn’t just being sorry for sin - we need to CHANGE !!
Genesis 44 - The test of LOVE
Years before his brothers had treated Joseph cruelly and heartlessly. They had hated him and plotted to kill him. But had they changed? Had they learned to love?
Joseph set up another test. He arranged for a cup to be hidden in his youngest brother Benjamin's sack - framing Benjamin so it would look as though he had stolen the cup. How would the brothers react when Benjamin was falsely accused? Would they save their own skins and leave Benjamin to face the music alone - or would they stand by him? The cup was duly found on Benjamin and the sentence was a lifetime of slavery.
44: 16 ``What can we say to my lord?'' Judah replied. ``What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves- we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.'' 17 But Joseph said, ``Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.'' 18. Then Judah went up to him and said: ``Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
Judah explained how precious Benjamin was to their father Jacob - just as precious as Joseph had been all those years before. But The brothers weren't jealous and full of hate any more!!!
32 Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, `If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!' 33 ``Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father.''
So Joseph was convinced that his brothers had changed! They were no longer heartless and cruel scumbags - but loving brothers. Their live were producing fruit in keeping with repentance. Honesty. Truth. Love. Compassion. Self-sacrifice.
And God calls us to do the same. Not only to acknowledge our sin, not only to be sorry for our sin, but in God’s strength to change – to become different people, new people whose lives are characterised with the kind of honesty and truth and the kind of genuine love that Joseph’s brothers had learned.
Years before those brothers had been scumbags – the worst of the worst! But God hadn’t given up on those brothers. These three stories from Genesis show us how God’s grace had enabled Joseph’s brothers. truly to repent. And God’s grace calls US truly to repent.
Response in prayer:-
Remember sins of OMISSION – James 4:17: Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
PRAYER OF GENERAL CONFESSION – Red Books
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8. The Power of Blessings (Genesis 49:1-28)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor 13:14)
Who said AMEN ?J No we havent finished yet!!!! But when we say those words at the end of the service - what do we think happens? Do we believe they make any difference to anybody??? Or are they just a ritual, a religious way of saying goodbye? Back in 1970s Synod Cof E planning ASB services - one draft version brought a service to a close by priest saying "the service is over" and the congregtion responding "thanks be to God". Does ending our services with "THE GRACE" or any similar "blessing" actually do anything??
The word BLESS / blessing is a very biblical word - more than 400 times in Bible. A blessing is a "bestowal of some good" which can be any form of material or spiritual well-being. Most of the time it is God who gives the blessing. So just in Genesis alone we read 65 times about the LORD blessing Adam and Eve, and the whole creation, and Noah, and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and a few other people as well. Throughout Ex, Lev, Numb, Deut, we read another 64 promises of God's blessing on His chosen people Israel. And Psalms and Proverbs especially speak another 81 times of the blessings God has for those who seek and trust and obey Him.
When God speaks words of blessing, when God makes a promise that someone will be blessed, things happen! Because God's words are an expression, and even an extension of His personality and His authority. When God speaks, things happen. God said let there be light - and it happened!!! When God speaks words of blessing, the person gets blessed. Because God's word always accomplishes that for which He sends it
Isaiah 55:10-11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God speaks – and people are blessed! But especially in the early books of the Bible we find the idea that other people can give THEIR blessing to others, can pass on material and spiritual well-being to others. So back in Genesis, we read that the priest of Salem Melchizedek blessed Abraham, Abraham blessed his children, and Isaac blessed his children. In Deut, Moses gave his words of blessing to the nation of Israel. Remember the lengths Jacob went to in Gen 27 to trick his father Isaac into giving HIM the special words of blessing which should have been reserved for his older brother Esau. And how angry Esau was when he found out that his special blessing had been stolen!
They really believed that "giving a blessing" and “receiving a blessing” in this way made a difference!!!! So back in Gen 48 we find Jacob giving his blessing to Joseph's sons. Manasseh and Ephraim. And our reading today Genesis 49 is a record of the 12 separate blessings Jacob gave to his 12 sons. Gen 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
And here just by way of example are the special blessings Jacob pronounced for Joseph. Gen 49:22-26 ``Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed supple, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers. But what has Jacob blessing his sons got to do with us almost 4000 years later? The people in the Bible believed in giving blessings. Is that just some obscure part of ancient history? Or should we still be doing the same today? It is significant that throughout those 4000 years, worship services in Jewish synagogues and Christian churches have always included words of “blessings”. But when WE pronouce a blessing, like saying the words called “the grace” at the end of a service, what happens?? Do we believe that when we ask God to bless people, it really works? Or is it just a polite pious way of saying goodbye?
If somebody sneezes people often say "God bless you" - This phrase is said to have been originated by the devout Pope St. Gregory the Great, who in the year 750 appointed a form of prayer to be said by persons sneezing. At that time it was believed that many people who sneezed violently were in danger of expelling their souls, and that this danger could be counteracted by a proper prayer or phrase. But if we say “bless you” when somebody sneezes today, is it just empty superstition, or do those words carry any spiritual power?
When we say “Goodbye, God bless” - to somebody as we are parting, or write "every blessing / God bless you" on a letter, do we really believe that our words will make any difference to their lives?
We all know the power of words
In the second world war there was a slogan, “Careless talk costs lives” – meaning that secret information casually discovered by an enemy could compromise the war effort and put lives at risk. But we know how powerful and dangerous and potentially damaging OUR words can be. Criticism can be so hurtful and painful, whether it is justified or not. Gossip and backbiting so often leads to division. The old proverb says, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never harm me.” But in this day and age more people are hurt and more lives are wrecked by verbal assaults as are wrecked by physical violence. As Christians it is only proper that we always think before we speak, that we do our very best to make sure that our words do not hurt others.
Words have power to do harm, but they also have the power to do great good. Our words can really help other people. We all know just how powerful and uplifting words of praise and encouragement can be. But in the Bible giving a blessing means much more than just saying some encouraging and inspiring words.
We also know the power of prayer
We believe in a God who answers prayer – an all-powerful Father God who lovingly grants the requests of his children. We believe that time spent making those requests is not time wasted. On the contrary, in many situations the very best thing we can possibly do to help ourselves or others in need is to pray, because our God answers prayer and those prayers can change the world!
Our prayers are often very material - concerned with health , prosperity, deliverance from adversity. But listen to some of the wonderful things the apostle Paul prayed for others.
Eph 1:17-20 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead,
Eph 3:16-19 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. Col 1:9-12 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Do we pray for these kinds of glorious blessings for others? Or do we get bogged down with the mundane? If we only spent five minutes more a week praying these kinds of prayers for each other, what a difference that could make to the church!
We know the power of prayer. But let’s be clear, in the Bible pronouncing a blessing on someone is distinctly different to praying for them.
So what IS the power of blessings?
In Bible terms, declaring a blessing on another person is not what we PRAY for them, but what we SAY directly TO them. I suspect we don't actually DECLARE God's blessings to each other very much. Most Christians don’t believe or realise that they CAN bestow material and spiritual good on others by speaking words of blessing to each other? We can see the point of prayer - asking God to bless. But here in 21st century Europe we don’t go a bundle on declaring blessings for each other.
But remember how Jesus blessed the little children when they came to Him. Those mothers who brought their children to Jesus certainly believed that His saying a blessing on them would make a difference to their lives. And Jesus encouraged them! And listen to some curious words Jesus said as he sent out his disciples to preach the gospel and teach and hear and minister deliverance in Luke 10:5-6, 9-12
6 ``When you enter a house, first say, `Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.' But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Jesus was teaching that the words His disciples spoke would convey blessing - God's peace - or equally God’s judgement to the people they spoke to.
In the same vein Jesus said to his disciples Matt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'' And in case they had missed the point, Jesus repeated exactly the same words two chapters later: Matt 18: 18 ``I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
And in John 20:23 the Risen Christ tells his disciples, If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.''
Jesus was delegating HIS authority to his disciples and to his church. So Christians have the power to pronounce God's blessing - to declare how God will bless. And when we do this, it will not just be empty words, nor even an optimistic prayer. Those words will in some senses be authoritative, declarative, performative!! Because we speak on behalf the Lord Jesus Christ, representing God, the blessings we command WILL happen.
God himself gave Moses and Aaron a formula for pronouncing blessing on the Israelites.
Num 6:22-27 The LORD said to Moses, ``Tell Aaron and his sons, `This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: `````The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face towards you and give you peace.'' ' ``So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.''
All Christians share in the priesthood of all believers. So we can ALL pronounce God's blessing as the OT priests did, on each other and on a needy world. We also share in the prophet-hood of all believers. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets will inspire US, so that we can declare God's blessings, as the OT prophets were called to do.
The apostle Paul ended most of his letters with some words of blessing. So “the grace” actually comes from the end of 2nd Corinthians in 2 Cor 13:14, 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Of course, our words can bring harm as well as good. The Old Testament frequently contrasts blessings with curses – Jesus said in Luke 6:28 Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill-treat you. So also apostle Paul wrote Romans 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. And Paul wrote in 1Cor 4:12 When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; And the apostle Peter wrote 1Pet 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called.
The Lord Jesus Christ, and Paul, and Peter, clearly thought and taught that our words either pronouncing a blessing or a curse really would have an effect on the other person! We can either speak well to another person and that will prosper them, or speak against someone and that will bring God's judgement on them. The bible teaches us that as Christians we should be concerned with declaring blessings and not curses.
So what are we going to do about all this? When a Minister visits people, even folk who are not Christians usually expect the Minister to pronounce a blessing on them and on their house. But Ministers aren’t the only Christians who are allowed to pronounce blessings. ALL Christians can pronounce blessings!!!! Those blessings aren’t just encouraging words or optimistic wishful thinking. And those blessings are something different again from prayers of faith, although faith has a place in giving blessings. A blessing declared in the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit WILL BRING good on others!
We know the power of words, and the power of prayer. Let’s try to discover the power of blessings together. I want to invite you this morning to begin to share in this Biblical practice - of speaking words of blessing, of actually declaring God's blessing on each other and on a needy world.
What difference will it make? LET’S TRY IT AND FIND OUT!!!
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