Living With Forgiveness

Joseph's life was filled with ups and downs, love and hatred, but he always remained a man of character and integrity. He had a strong faith in God and believed that everything in life was part of God's plan. After their father's death, Joseph's brothers feared his revenge for the evil they had done to him in the past. But Joseph forgave them and assured them that he was in the place of God and they did not need to fear him. Joseph's example teaches us to keep on keeping on, forgive others, and leave matters to God. Words and actions can hurt, but we can choose how we respond and follow God's mandate to forgive and let Him take care of it. with forgiveness, then most of us have problems with forgetting, right? You know, we hang on to it and it is there. And Genesis chapter 50 is the last chapter of the book of the beginnings. And we come to the last, what we call the last patriarch, Joseph. And you look at Joseph and we look at his life and we see a life that was lived with forgiveness. When you think about the life of Joseph, just for a minute, I mean, you think about all of the ups that Joseph had. But as many times as he was up, he was also down. You think about all of the highs that Joseph reached, and yet with all the highs there were these lows. And you think of all of the love that Joseph received, and yet he still also received so much hatred. And Joseph throughout it all, from time of being one of the youngest in the clan, to being in prison, to being a rise to a prince in the nation of Egypt, through it all, the one thing that stayed true about Joseph was his character. He was always a man of character and integrity. And the other thing is, you know, you don't really see it until the very end. When you come to chapter 50, but Joseph was a man of faith. Joseph had a strong faith. And you know, as I study the life of Joseph, like I said, I don't really pick that up until you get to chapter 50. And then all of a sudden, you see this faith. And one of the things, the older I get and the more that I experience in life and the more that I go through, my heart and my mind is convinced that the truth is that God is behind every single event in our life. There is no such thing as an accident. There is no such thing as a coincidence. I believe that God is in control. I believe that's what the Bible teaches us in Isaiah chapter 45 and verse 9. It was working and it died. Let's see if it will start back up here again. Alright, forget it. You control it. Isaiah 46.9, remember, The former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like Me. And then look what he says in verse 10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed My counsel from a far country, yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass, and I have purposed it, I will also do it. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 11, we've gone through Ephesians, but he said being predestinated according to His purpose of God, and according to the purpose of Him. And we sometimes get afraid of predestination, but listen, God has a plan. God has a purpose and it's going to happen. It's going to take place in Psalms 135 and verse 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that He did. In heaven and earth and the seas and all of the deep places. And when you come to the life of Joseph, our text tonight, we're going to start in verse 14. You go and read the first 13 chapters of that, you find out that his father, Jacob, has just passed away. His father Jacob has now died. The family has kind of once again been reunited, and everything was there, and now all of a sudden Joseph remembers and is reminded that his father wanted his bones taken and placed in the land of Canaan. And so Joseph asked permission. He goes and does that. And then we come to verse 14. And it says, And Joseph returned into Egypt, and he and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, and after he had buried his father, it goes on. But I want you to stop and notice that Joseph, the first thing that we see in Joseph is he just keeps on keeping on. No matter how high, no matter how low, no matter how good, no matter how bad, no matter how much love, no matter how much hate, Joseph just continues to do what he is supposed to do. And that's a good reminder for us, isn't it? Sometimes it's easy to throw in the towel. It's easy to quit. It's easy to walk away. But Joseph just keeps on. He's there in Egypt. He has a job. He has a position. Joseph has a ton of responsibility. And he could have very well told his brothers, Y'all go bury Dad. I've got a lot going on. But no, he went and he said, Pharaoh, I've got to leave. I need to go take care of this promise that my father has made. And so the brothers of Joseph have now, they've come back to Egypt. They've buried Jacob. And all of a sudden now the brothers realize, hey, guess what? All that evil that we have done, Dad is not here to protect us anymore, right? He is not here to keep us alive. And they start to begin to remember all of the terrible things years ago that they had done to Joseph. They remember how they sold him as a slave. They remember how they covered up his disappearance with a lie to his father that he was dead. Even going so far as to taking his robe of many colors and smearing blood on it and ripping it like he had been attacked. They remember things of the many others and things that had happened and had gone on in the past. And they were afraid. And they were sure that now that their father is dead, Joseph, his humanity will come out, right? This guy can't just keep forgiving all the time. Now Dad is gone. Now he is going to get his revenge, right? And look at what it says there in verse 15. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto them. Why do you think they think like that? Because they've done it, right? That's what their heart did. That's what they've done. That's what people do, right? We're going to get even. It's not about loving. It's about getting even. They're just showing who they are and they're showing their character. In verse 16, they sent a messenger unto Joseph. They wouldn't even go confront him, but they sent a messenger. And they get this messenger to tell Joseph, your father did command before he died, saying... This was his last dying wish that he wanted you to know. It's funny that it had to not come from his father. It's funny that it didn't have to come from his brothers, but it came from a messenger, right? Okay, Dad wanted you to make sure you know this. Verse 17, So shall you say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto thee evil. And now we pray thee, forgive the trespasses of their servants, of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when he spake unto them. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. Joseph is going on about his life. And what do they say? Hey, we need forgiveness. But if you don't want to give it to us, at least let us be your servants, right? We've done some evil things. And so, man, we understand that if you don't want to forgive, just make us your servants. But Joseph just keeps on forgiving. And he says in verse 19, Joseph said unto them, Fear not. And I love this phrase, and as I was reading it this week, it just kind of jumped out at me again. He said, For I am in the place of God. And it's a verse that we're going to get to here in a little bit, but I've always read right over this. His brothers say, Please forgive us. And if you don't, then make us your servants. And Joseph said, Hey, don't get all worked up over this thing, because I am in the place of God. We've been preaching a lot on Sunday morning about knowing the will of God. You remember all through the book of Philippians, Paul, therewith to be content. Whatever state. Why? Because Paul knew that he was doing what God wanted him to do. And there's going to be highs serving God. There's going to be lows serving God. There's going to be those that love you. There's going to be those that hate you. There's going to be good days and there's going to be bad days. But just keep on keeping on. That's what he is telling us here. And he said, You know what? I've already forgiven y'all way back then. Do you remember when they first came to him and he recognized his brothers and they didn't recognize him? He already forgave them then. He already sent them back with food for the Father. He already went to take care of the family and everything. And so he had already forgiven them, but he's nearing the end of his life. And I think Joseph can know that he can die looking at his father's death. He knows that he can go to the grave with a clear conscience. Having no record that he had harmed anyone. He's just always kept on serving God and keeping his character clean. So they don't need to fear Joseph for what they have done wrong. And they'll eventually face a higher court, right? They're eventually going to face God. God's going to take care as He has Joseph and everything that went on. You know, as we pass through life, there's times that we're hurt by words, right? There's sometimes people say things that hurt us. There's sometimes that we are hurt by actions of others. It is inevitable because we live in a world of sinners. And so guess what? The dumbest thing that I think we ever said on the playground was sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never hurt me. That's the most stupidest saying that there's ever been. Because guess what? Words hurt, don't they? Words hurt. You know, I saw a deal on Facebook and it was two people and they both had a gun in their mouth and they were referring our words as bullets. They harm. They hurt. They destroy. And we'll be hurt, and sometimes we'll be hurt deeply. And we cannot help what others do to us, but we can learn from Joseph, we can help what we do to others and how we respond to others. When the hurtful words and harsh deeds of others break our hearts, we really only have two courses of action. Did you know that? You can either be angry and hold a grudge and seek revenge, or you can simply forgive them and leave the matter to God and let God take care of it. Here is the Scriptural mandate. Here is what God tells us to do. In Ephesians 4, verse 32, He says, "...be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." In Romans 12, verse 17, He says, "...recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men, if it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." It doesn't say that you have to get along. It doesn't say that everything is going, but as much as you can control, don't be retaliating and don't be trying to wish bad upon people. He says, "...dearly beloved, avenge not yourself, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him. If he thirst, give him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head, and be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." And that verse has been used out of context so much times because we think of coals as being what? Hot. Don't we? And so, man, we want to heat coals on people's heads. We want them to burn when they mess with us, right? That's the total opposite of what this verse is teaching. Coals was their life source. They didn't have natural gas matches and stuff to light fires and stuff. And so coal was literally their life. If you watch Survivor, you know, that's their big saying, as far in this game as your life. As long as you've got fire, you can survive. Any Survivor type show, wilderness show you watch, the first thing they want to do, even before getting water sometimes, they want to make sure they have a fire. And so what he's saying is, is you give to them, and you're giving coals to them. You're giving them not only what they need now, but you're also giving them what they need for later. And then that will sit in, and that will take over. And look what he says in verse 21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with God's. You know, it's God's place to judge. We talk about it all the time. God's the One that's doing the judging. God is the One that will recompense and take care of everything. And I love this too, where Joseph says, he said there in verse 19, Joseph said unto them, Fear not, for I am in the place of God. But, but, here's a contrast. Because he didn't accept and acknowledge that what they did wasn't evil. He didn't say, oh, you know, it wasn't that bad what y'all did. No, don't worry about it. I've forgiven you a long time ago. It really didn't mess things up. But he said, I am in the place of God. But, I want you to understand, you thought evil against me. You meant to harm me. You meant to do me harm. You meant to try to destroy me. You meant to ruin my life. But, God meant it unto good. And He did it in order to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alike. The coincidence of them trying to kill Joseph, now through Joseph they live. You ever thought about that? If they would have been successful at getting rid of Joseph, they probably would not be surviving now because of the famine and everything else. They wouldn't have been able to survive. And so Joseph does not pretend what they did was evil. He's not covering it up. People say forgiveness is forgetting. Now, he didn't forget. He knows exactly what they did. And he recognizes the evil that they did. And he said it most certainly was. He knew the intent of their heart. You meant it for evil. You meant it for harm. The whole reason that he was there was because they betrayed him and sold their own brother as a slave. But Joseph looked past the surface. And he looked at the deeper intentions. And in spite of what they were doing, God was doing something greater and far more wonderful than what they could imagine. And yes, they sinned against Joseph. But God even used their sins to accomplish His eternal plan. And so when you think about it, you know, in one verse, Joseph all of a sudden looks back on 30 years of history. All of the trials. All of the troubles from being in a pit to being in prison to finally rising to the number one guy in the palace behind Pharaoh. And he acknowledges that every single thing that happened, God had His hand in every single detail. Everything. Joseph knows that the hatred and the betrayal, the slavery, the imprisonment, the loneliness, the separation, every bad experience in his life was pointing to a much bigger plan. He used them valleys. He used the victories of Joseph's life to reach Joseph's brothers. To encourage Jacob. To bring the children of Israel to Egypt. To literally save the world. Because if it wasn't for Joseph's dream and him convincing Pharaoh to save up seven years during the good times, they wouldn't have had seven years during the famine and the hard times. Surely, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. You know, it's probably without saying that God will probably not use the events of our lives. You know, all of the good, the bad, the evil that's done against us to accomplish some amazing things like saving the world, saving a family, or whatever. It's not likely that He'll use our trials and tragedies we face to save a nation, to accomplish His redemptive plan. But I want you to understand tonight that we can be sure of one thing. As we pass through life, we can count on the fact that every valley and every victory is a part of His plan. God has a plan. God has a purpose. And that's His promise. We hear it quoted all the time in Romans 8.28. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to Your purpose. Joseph kept his character. He kept his faith. And what did God do? Through the good times and the bad times, He brought him to help save a nation. When we pass through the hard places in life, it's easy to forget that God's in control. It's easy to look at our problems. It's easy to look at those that are saying bad things, that are doing evil against us. And sometimes the next time the rug has just jerked out from under you, remember that God is always there to catch you. God has a plan. They may have wanted it to be for evil. But God had a plan. God had a purpose. Hebrews 13.5 says, let your conversation be without covetousness. And be content with such things as you have, for He has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake you. No matter what happens in life, God is still there. God knows and God is taking care of us. At the end of the great commission that was given to the church, the last thing He says is teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world. I am with you always. Remember, He invites you to come to Him for comfort, for consolation. No matter what takes place in life, God meant it for good. And so notice here, we go to v. 21, God overrules man's evil and He uses it for good. Look at v. 21. It says, Now therefore, fear ye not, I will nourish you. Not only will I forgive you, not only am I not going to turn you into a slave, but I will nourish you and I will also nourish your little ones, your children. And He comforted them and spake kindly unto them. You see how God takes the evil and turns it into good? But He does it through an individual that has character and that has faith. And so Joseph repays this evil with good. And one of these days, we're going to leave this world. It is appointed unto man once to die. No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you work at it, there's going to come a day that you are going to die. And the question becomes, are we ready to leave this world with a clean conscience? You know, Joseph could go to bed at night. And he said, man, they meant it for evil, but look at what God has done. I'm glad I stuck on God's side. I'm glad I stayed there and had a relationship with God that is there. You know, Matthew 5, verses 23 and 24 talks about if you have a problem with your brother, before you give your offering, before you give your tithe, do what? Remember your brother has something against you. Leave that gift there before the altering. Go thy way. First, be reconciled to your brother. And then, come offer your gift. If you are the offended party, if somebody has offended you, you need to take the matter before the Lord and strive to reach a place of forgiveness. You will never be happy in the Lord. You will never have joy. You will never experience peace that we have been talking about until you have forgiven those that have wronged you. It's not your responsibility to get even. It's not your responsibility to take care of it. It's your responsibility to make things right. Luke 17 verse 3 says, take heed to yourselves. If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him. And if he repent, forgive him. You know, hey, you've hurt me. You've done it wrong. And you forgive it and walk away. If they repent, then guess what? You've gained a brother. If they haven't, it's off your conscience. You've forgiven them and you go on and live your life because God has a bigger plan. One time here does Joseph sugarcoat what his brothers had done to him. You know, it may be that with the help of God, you can simply forgive them. But either way, you need to deal with the issue before it drains the spiritual life out of you. I know preachers. I know church members that are literally spiritually dead because they cannot forgive and move on. It's destroyed people's lives. Hebrews 12 and 15 says, looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. What happens when we not fall from the grace, but fail from the grace? In other words, because God has showed us grace and forgiveness, we are supposed to be doing what? Giving grace and forgiveness. If we fail to do that, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. But notice what happened because of Joseph and because of his character and because he understood God's plan and God's purpose. Look at v. 22. He just kept on keeping on, but now here's where his faith really jumps out. In v. 50 and v. 22 it says, And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house, and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. A hundred and ten years he was there. And look at v. 23. Not only was he faithful, him and his family was all together, but then look at v. 23. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation, the children also of Makar the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees. You know, that really hadn't meant a whole lot to me until now that I'm a grandpa. Now that I'm a grandpa. You know, I think about all of the things between my kids. Good things, bad things, or whatever. But you know what? God has blessed me to where I can sit there and now I can share what God has done in my life with my grandchildren. And hopefully one day if I live long enough to my great-grandchildren. And see how fruitful? Joseph was the one person of character. He's the one person of faithfulness. And where is his two sons? Who are they bringing? They're bringing their sons to see it and hear from Papa. But look where Joseph's focus is at in v. 24. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die. My days are coming to an end and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land into a land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Where did he get this? Well, all the way back to Genesis 12 when God told Abraham, Leave Erev Chaldees and come follow Me and I will bless you and make you a great nation and give you the children as the sand in the sea and the stars of the sky. And Joseph now, he's getting ready for death. And what's he talking to them little grandbabies? He's saying, I'm fixing to die. But listen, God promised a land. We're not there yet. Egypt is not where God wants us. Egypt is where God has us spending our time and hanging out for right now. But this is not where God wants us. He wants us in Canaan. Look at v. 25. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died being 110 years old and they embalmed him. And he was put in a coffin in Egypt. When Joseph dies, he dies believing that God will visit his people one day and take them out of Egypt to a promised land. And Joseph left this world clinging to the promises of God because God is a mighty God. And he left here right with God and man. He left here with full assurance that God had led him every single step of the way knowing that death was not the end, but there was still a better future down the road. And all of it was because of his character, his faith, and his forgiveness. And so the question that I ask you tonight is when your time to leave here comes, and it will, it's going to happen to all of us unless Jesus Christ comes back, how will you leave? Will you leave standing in the will of God with the character of God and the forgiveness of God? Or will you leave kicking and screaming in bitterness about how awful and how terrible your life has been? You know who gets to make that choice? We do. We do. And God has a plan. And God has a purpose. And so we can look at it, and man, we could get bitter, and I know of some Christians that have. And they'll tell you real quick, I don't go to church because something has happened or somebody said something or somebody done something. And they are bitter and they're out of the will of God and they're unhappy. There is no joy in their life. There's no peace in their life. But guess what? It's their choice. It's their choice. Because see, I served God. And He sent His Son with a plan. And that plan was to die for my sins. And because He died for my sins, His next plan is after I accept His sacrifice, to conform me into His image. And sometimes it takes people hurting me. Sometimes it takes people saying the wrong thing. Sometimes it takes people yanking the rug out from under my feet to get me to trust and rely on God. But listen, I can stand here at 55 years old and look back over my life of 55 years and tell you that there has never been an accident. There's never been a coincidence. Everything good and bad has happened to bring me to where I am tonight. And I can promise you that if I die tonight, it's going to just get better tomorrow. Right? That should be our attitude. That should be the way that we live and walk every single day. If we stand and we have a verse of invitation tonight, when your time to leave comes, how will you leave? How will you leave as we sing?