WEBVTT

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For those of you that don't know me, I am Pastor

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Nathan and if you are joining us here in our

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sanctuary for the first time today or if you're

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watching online for the first time, we just want

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to say welcome to all of you. We're so glad you're

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here to worship with us at Hosanna. This morning

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we're going to be talking about those moments

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where God wakes us up. You know, I'm sure that

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all of us have had moments in life where You

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know, on the surface, everything looks great,

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right? Life is progressing, things are well,

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things are kind of in place, but underneath the

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surface, there's something that's deeply unsettled.

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Maybe, you know, you're in a busy time of life,

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maybe you're being real productive, maybe you're

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like even in a very successful season, yet there's

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a quiet place in your soul that... flinches a

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bit when certain words are said or certain memories

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come back to the surface. Maybe you find yourself

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avoiding certain situations, not because they're

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dangerous situations, but because they remind

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you of something. They expose something in you

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that you're trying to not think about. Now, biblically,

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we should know very clearly that none of us have

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ever needed to be taught how to sin. We were

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born that way. Nobody ever teaches a kid how

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to hide the candy behind their back. It just

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comes with life. But we do need to be taught

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how to deal with sin that we've buried, that

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we've tried to put behind us and forget about.

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In Genesis chapter 42, which is where we're going

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to be today, is that lesson. This is about when

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God refuses to let sin stay buried. As we've

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been studying through the life of Joseph here,

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22 years have passed for Joseph's brothers since

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the day that they got mad and threw him into

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the cistern and then sold him into slavery. It's

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been 22 years. Joseph's brothers have families

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now. Life has moved on. They've built lives,

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shepherding, doing all the stuff that they would

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do there. And they've learned how to live with

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what they did to their brother. Now we remember

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that when they sold him into slavery, they dipped

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the robe, the coat of many colors that they despised

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into blood and lied to their father that he was

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dead. And so Jacob believes Joseph is dead. Now

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for 22 years from the outside, it looks like

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Joseph's brothers got away with murder, so to

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speak. That things just moved on after. But we

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have to understand that guilt doesn't die. It

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sleeps. Sometimes it hibernates for a while.

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But when God is ready to redeem that sin, to

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bring us to face it for repentance and healing,

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he will awaken. Now, repentance isn't something

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God does to us. It's something he draws. He awakens

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a sleeping conscience. Not to crush somebody,

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not to punish them, but to bring healing. To

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bring healing through those things. So if you've

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ever wondered in your life why God allows certain

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things to happen, difficult things that remind

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you of things that you thought long forgotten,

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long buried. Or maybe you've ever felt unsettled

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by the concept of grace instead of comforted

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by it because you have a sense within you that

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you don't deserve such and such because of things

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you've done. Or if you've ever sensed that God

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seems to be bringing old things back to the surface

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that have been long buried and you wonder why,

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this chapter is for you. But before we get into

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that, we want to worship our Lord and sing praises

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to him because he is glorious. He is amazing

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and almighty. This next year coming up, not today,

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but we're going to be starting in the new year,

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is expanding our time of worship here on Sunday

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mornings. We'll be doing some more music as a

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part of the service because praising God is just

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wonderful. It's glorious. It's such a neat thing

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to do. To do that, not just to get ready for

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study and all that stuff, but to do that because

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let's forget about everything and just say, God,

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you're so awesome. is such a critical part of

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our walk in our faith, and so we're going to

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be doing more of that. But today, we're going

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to open with that as we normally do, and so I

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just encourage you to praise him. Forget about

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whatever you walked in here with. God's going

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to bring all that up during the study. But just

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right now, reflect on who he is and what he's

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done in your life, the gift that he is to you,

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the salvation. that you've received through him.

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And if you're here this morning, you do not know

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Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Well, I'm

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going to lovingly and boldly pray that you are

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radically uncomfortable today as you hear the

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gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of who he

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is and the reality of how much he desperately

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loves you and how much he wants to see your soul

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saved and redeemed. Let's pray. Father, we love

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you. We thank you, God, for who you are and what

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you've done. God, we're so grateful for just

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everything of you. You're almighty, you're loving,

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you're light. God, just to reflect on all those

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things, Lord, just should humble us greatly.

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And yet, God, you've chosen to love us. You want

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a relationship with us. You want to know us,

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God. And above all of that, Lord, you want to

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save us from the power of sin and death. And

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God, as people who live and grow in this world,

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we all have things we've done, wrongs we've committed,

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people we've hurt. And Lord, sometimes, probably

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most of the times, we try to bury those things,

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God, so that we can deal. So that instead of

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facing guilt, we kind of push it away so we don't

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have to think about it. And yet, Lord, you are

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faithful to bring those things back out when

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we... are in that place when we're ready for

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redemption, Lord, and you're the one that knows

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that calendar date. And for some, that may be

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today. But God, we know that you bring these

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things out not to chastise us and to make us

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feel bad. You bring these things out, Lord, so

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that we would take responsibility, acknowledge

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the gravity, and really, Lord, turn to you for

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what you offer, and that is grace and mercy and

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forgiveness. So speak to us today, Lord. I pray

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for everyone in this room, everybody watching

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now and that would be watching this later. May

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your spirit just work powerfully among your people.

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May your spirit draw those to you that don't

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yet know you. God, we thank you. We love you.

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We worship you. It's in Jesus' name we pray.

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Amen. Today we are in Genesis chapter 42. As

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we continue our study through Genesis, finished

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Genesis in 2026, so we'll see. Yeah, I know,

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right? That's like, there's more books in the

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Bible? Yes, there are. And so, but. Here in Genesis

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42, we have come to one of the most emotionally

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charged sections in Joseph's life. We have followed

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him from the land of Canaan to Egypt, sold by

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his brothers. We've looked at how he was purchased

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by Potiphar, and he was a slave in Potiphar's

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house. How the Lord blessed him there, and he

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was risen up to be in charge of the whole household.

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Then we read how Potiphar's wife tried to seduce

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him, and he resisted all of that, as godly people

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should do, but unfortunately caused him to fall

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under false accusations and to be thrown into

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prison. And then in prison, he was raised up

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again to be a man of authority because he just

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had a godly character and a godly work ethic.

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And yet there, when the opportunity came for

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him to get released from this unjust imprisonment,

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he was forgotten for two more years. And then,

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finally, it came in God's timing where he was

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released and raised up to... power, incredible

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power, to be number two in the entire Egyptian

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empire, second only to Pharaoh himself, and pretty

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amazing story of what God has done there. But,

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you know, sometimes you might see in comic books

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or movies, we have that frame that comes up and

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goes, meanwhile, and we go back to the land of

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Canaan. Now, meanwhile, Joseph's brothers have

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lived in the land of Canaan, in their father's

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house, Jacob's house, for over two decades. And

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they've been living for over two decades with

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a buried crime. A crime that they thought had

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been long gone. A crime that maybe they thought

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they got away with. I mean, their lives have

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moved on. Joseph was gone. Their dad. believed

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the lie that Joseph was dead and had been grieving.

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But even though the deed was done and long gone,

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and even though 22 years have passed, the guilt

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wasn't gone. Because guilt doesn't leave, it

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sleeps. It simply goes into hibernation, and

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the Holy Spirit's about to show us something

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here in this chapter that we all need to know

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and to learn and to understand, and that's how

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God wakes up a sleeping conscience. You see,

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we have all prayed for people, prayed with people,

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friends, family, spouses, children, whoever it

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may be that don't know the Lord. And we have

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prayed and we've shared with them. And sometimes

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it seems like we share this life -changing truth

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and it just goes boing and bounces right off

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of them. There's no concept. There's no understanding

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or there's no concern. They're like, oh yeah,

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okay, well, God and good and evil and heaven

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and hell. Okay, sweet, cool. And then they go

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about their life, right? And you're like, aren't

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you moved? Don't you feel anything? And they

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seemingly don't. But then those very people,

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we all have the same stories, where one day,

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suddenly they were awake. Suddenly they were

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feeling bad about stuff. You know, in my story,

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and I may have shared this before, and I don't

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share this to glorify any of it, but right before

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I got saved, God was stirring my heart on different

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things, but I was in an inappropriate relationship

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with a married woman. And I didn't care. And

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my brother, who was in church at the time, would

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say, dude, that's just so wrong. And I'm like,

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why? It's not my problem. It's her husband's

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problem. And he'd be like, oh my gosh. No conscience.

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Dead conscience to the whole thing. And then

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one day, all of a sudden, it mattered. We got

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together to go hang out and I remember climbed

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into her minivan and she had this picture of

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her kids on the thing and I got in and I looked

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at her kids and all of a sudden I was just like,

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oh my gosh, what am I doing? And I'm confused

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because I'm like, this isn't the first time we're

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hanging out. I've never cared before and all

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of a sudden. The gravity, the weight, the pressure,

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the evil, the wickedness of this just landed

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on me. And I remember telling her, I'm like,

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hey, we can't hang out. And she's like, why?

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And I'm like, I don't know. It's just wrong.

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I said, you're married. And she's like, I've

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been married the whole time. And I was like,

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I can't explain it. A couple weeks later, I got

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saved, but what I learned is that particular

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day or right around that day, my brother had

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been praying, and his prayer was, God, can you

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please make my brother feel how wrong it is,

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what he's doing? And he'd been praying that for

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some time. Well, that prayer got answered, and

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it wrecked me in a very, very good way. and it

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led to my repentance and my salvation. Now, God

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does that in people's lives, and it's in his

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timing he does that. And there is a process through

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which God does to bring people to repentance,

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to bring people to a recognition and an understanding

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of the gravity and the weight and the wickedness

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and the evil of their sin and the things they've

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done. Now, Both saved and unsaved can kind of

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go through this process because even saved people

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can commit sins and do things and then kind of

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bury them in the past, right? And let's just

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not talk about it. Let's just walk away. Let's

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pretend. Let's move on with our lives and just

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never bring it up. And yet, those buried seeds

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of sin have a way of poisoning our soul because

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we carry the guilt with us even though we think,

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oh, we're good. And that is a tool God uses to

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bring us to repentance. And so that's what we're

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gonna be looking at here, that these brothers,

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22 years of moving on with their lives, they

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may have thought they got away with it. They

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may have thought everything was good. They may

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have thought they were fine. But God wakes up

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their sleeping conscience. And when he does that,

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it can be both a severe thing and a grace. At

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the same time, and it's an important lesson,

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because sometimes the most merciful thing God

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can do in our lives is to refuse to let us stay

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comfortable with the things we've buried. That's

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a mercy of God, and so we're going to be talking

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about that. So here in Genesis 42, the famine.

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that Joseph had predicted has come to pass. It

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has spread across the whole world. It is terrible.

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It is severe. And everybody's hungry. Everybody's

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starving, right? And that's what brings us to

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verse one of Genesis 42. It says, when Jacob

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learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said

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to his sons, why do you keep looking at each

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other? Listen, he went on, I have heard there

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is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some

00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:47.269
for us so that we will live and not die. Now,

00:14:47.370 --> 00:14:50.889
it's like, this is kind of weird. What's up with

00:14:50.889 --> 00:14:52.230
the why do you keep looking at each other? What's

00:14:52.230 --> 00:14:55.610
the point of all that? Well, you figure in all

00:14:55.610 --> 00:14:58.409
the stuff that's going on in the hunger and the

00:14:58.409 --> 00:15:01.350
famine and everything, Jacob learns there's grain,

00:15:01.570 --> 00:15:05.110
and news came somehow, but there's grain in Egypt.

00:15:06.730 --> 00:15:10.690
And for these brothers, their dad was saying,

00:15:10.750 --> 00:15:13.549
Egypt is the solution. For the brothers, Egypt

00:15:13.549 --> 00:15:19.139
was sin. Egypt was a reminder of what they had

00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:22.919
done 22 years earlier. Egypt was a place they

00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.519
didn't want to go. And I can imagine in their

00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.500
minds, dad's like, there's grain in Egypt. Go

00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:30.179
there and get some. And they're just kind of

00:15:30.179 --> 00:15:37.399
all going. Why are you guys standing there looking

00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:40.519
at each other? Because what's going through their

00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:46.429
mind is Egypt. What if we go down there and we

00:15:46.429 --> 00:15:49.710
see Joseph? What if we go down there and he's

00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:52.009
in some slave gang or getting beat or whipped

00:15:52.009 --> 00:15:57.389
and he sees us? No, that's old news. That's buried.

00:15:58.750 --> 00:16:00.809
And yet he's like, look, this is what you're

00:16:00.809 --> 00:16:02.710
gonna do. You're gonna go. And you know, their

00:16:02.710 --> 00:16:04.570
silence, it wasn't because they're hungry and

00:16:04.570 --> 00:16:06.409
weak. Their silence was because their conscience

00:16:06.409 --> 00:16:10.460
had been awakened right here. God had... pulled

00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:12.539
the scab off that old wound, if you will, and

00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:15.779
now it was like, oh no, suddenly fresh, suddenly

00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:18.419
in front of them again. We can deal with guilt

00:16:18.419 --> 00:16:21.659
in our lives by trying to ignore it, trying to

00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:25.259
just move on, trying to distract ourselves from

00:16:25.259 --> 00:16:30.360
it, but time doesn't erase guilt. Certain words,

00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:34.340
places, seasons might remind us of it, right?

00:16:36.490 --> 00:16:38.789
Reawaken that forgotten sin. I mean, think about

00:16:38.789 --> 00:16:42.169
it. Ask yourself, is there certain topics you

00:16:42.169 --> 00:16:44.710
avoid in conversation because they bring up something

00:16:44.710 --> 00:16:48.970
that you want to forget? Are there certain places

00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:53.090
you avoid going to because they remind you of

00:16:53.090 --> 00:16:57.269
a buried sin that you've never dealt with? The

00:16:57.269 --> 00:17:01.549
silence in your soul right now might not be confusion.

00:17:02.090 --> 00:17:06.700
It simply might be conviction. Because, well,

00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:09.539
if I don't say it, it's not real. But you feel

00:17:09.539 --> 00:17:13.039
it. You feel the guilt. And when God starts stirring

00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:15.680
uncomfortable memories in our lives, he may be

00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:20.359
inviting repentance. He may be starting a process

00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:23.400
of drawing you to him, to drawing repentance

00:17:23.400 --> 00:17:26.059
out of you so that you can be healed and move

00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:28.319
on from that. And for the brothers, dad tells

00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:31.529
him to go. What it really is is God sending them

00:17:31.529 --> 00:17:33.970
straight to the place that exposes their hearts

00:17:33.970 --> 00:17:37.450
and exposes their secret sin. And so if God has

00:17:37.450 --> 00:17:40.250
been calling you to something you've been avoiding,

00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:44.250
listen, act. Because what's on the other side

00:17:44.250 --> 00:17:46.210
of that is healing and hope and good things.

00:17:46.910 --> 00:17:52.109
Guilt dealt with. Stop standing still and praying

00:17:52.109 --> 00:17:57.380
for relief when God is going, move, go. No, I

00:17:57.380 --> 00:17:59.599
can't go talk to that person. But Lord, please,

00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:01.839
please deal with this guilt in my heart. And

00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:03.380
God's going, I will if you go do what I tell

00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:07.319
you to do. You don't heal by standing still when

00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.839
God is saying to take action. So, verse 3. 10

00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.859
of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from

00:18:13.859 --> 00:18:16.160
Egypt, but Jacob did not send Joseph's brother

00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:20.579
Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought something

00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:26.589
might happen to him. Why not Benjamin? Because

00:18:26.589 --> 00:18:29.089
Benjamin was the second child of his favorite

00:18:29.089 --> 00:18:34.829
wife, Rachel. One of the sins that Jacob struggled

00:18:34.829 --> 00:18:38.170
with was showing favoritism. Joseph was the first

00:18:38.170 --> 00:18:40.890
son of Rachel. Benjamin was the second. Those

00:18:40.890 --> 00:18:43.309
were his favorite kids because she was his favorite

00:18:43.309 --> 00:18:45.789
wife. All the other brothers were kind of treated

00:18:45.789 --> 00:18:49.630
as second class, if you will. And so when Joseph

00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:54.150
died, as far as dad is concerned, guess who became

00:18:54.150 --> 00:18:58.180
the favorite? Benjamin, naturally. And all the

00:18:58.180 --> 00:19:02.220
brothers knew this. And so dad is thinking, I've

00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:05.900
already lost one son, my first favorite son.

00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:09.940
I am not going to risk my second one. And this

00:19:09.940 --> 00:19:13.019
may be speculative or reading into a little bit,

00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:17.079
but I think there's a possibility dad has had

00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:20.200
been harboring maybe a little seed of doubt about

00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.039
the story of Joseph all of these years, right?

00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:25.839
I mean, the reality is, is he saw the blood on

00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:28.180
the jacket, and he's like, he's dead, but he

00:19:28.180 --> 00:19:32.319
knew his sons, especially Simeon and Levi, who

00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.220
went and slaughtered all the people in Shechem.

00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:36.640
He knew his sons. Parents tend to know their

00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.500
kids pretty well and their personalities, and

00:19:38.500 --> 00:19:41.940
maybe there was this little bit of like, yeah,

00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.640
last time Joseph was with you guys, he disappeared.

00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:48.720
He died. I'm not sending Benjamin with you. Maybe

00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:52.109
someone else, but not with you guys. So you go,

00:19:52.230 --> 00:19:55.829
Benjamin's gonna stay here. And if that was the

00:19:55.829 --> 00:19:59.349
case, if there was some distrust from dad, I'm

00:19:59.349 --> 00:20:02.970
sure the boys felt that, right? So just another

00:20:02.970 --> 00:20:05.230
way for the guilt to be brought up. Egypt, oh

00:20:05.230 --> 00:20:08.710
my goodness. Benjamin ain't going with you, oh

00:20:08.710 --> 00:20:11.910
wow. Well, we know why, because of what we did

00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:15.470
to Joseph. Verse five, the sons of Israel were

00:20:15.470 --> 00:20:18.170
among those who came to buy grain, for the famine

00:20:18.170 --> 00:20:21.920
was in the land of Canaan. Now, just quick aside

00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:24.960
here on this, you know, just notice the promised

00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:28.799
land wasn't spared from the famine. God's people

00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:32.819
are not immune from hardship. We're not. People

00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:34.519
who say, hey, you need to give your life to the

00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:36.140
Lord because everything will be great after that

00:20:36.140 --> 00:20:39.440
are lying to you. How many of you, when you gave

00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.579
your life to the Lord, things got quite a bit

00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:46.299
worse for a while? Yeah. Why? Because the devil

00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:50.509
is mad. He lost one. And so now if he couldn't

00:20:50.509 --> 00:20:52.089
keep you from getting saved, he's going to do

00:20:52.089 --> 00:20:54.089
everything you can to either drive you away from

00:20:54.089 --> 00:20:56.430
it or keep you from bothering to grow in it.

00:20:57.589 --> 00:21:01.069
But God's people aren't immune. Sometimes a famine

00:21:01.069 --> 00:21:05.450
is not punishment. Like sometimes the things

00:21:05.450 --> 00:21:07.309
we experience, the hardships, are because of

00:21:07.309 --> 00:21:10.369
our poor decisions, their consequences. But sometimes

00:21:10.369 --> 00:21:14.140
a famine is preparation. Sometimes it's a situation

00:21:14.140 --> 00:21:16.519
God is orchestrating to drive you to a place

00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:19.259
that he's leading you to go for the purpose of

00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:21.400
repentance and healing. And just because we're

00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:23.339
God's kids doesn't mean he won't discipline us.

00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:28.680
He disciplines us to refine us and to position

00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:31.579
us and to prepare us for the redemption moment.

00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:34.559
And so, verse six, Joseph was in charge of the

00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:38.440
country. He sold grain to all its people. His

00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.500
brothers came and bowed down before him with

00:21:40.500 --> 00:21:43.900
their faces. to the ground. And when Joseph saw

00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:47.460
his brothers, he recognized them. Oh man, can

00:21:47.460 --> 00:21:51.079
you imagine this moment for Joseph? 22 years

00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:54.319
ago, he had a dream. 17 -year -old young man

00:21:54.319 --> 00:21:56.059
went to his brothers, guys, I had this really

00:21:56.059 --> 00:21:59.519
cool dream. Essentially, in the dream, you all

00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:03.539
bow down to me. Isn't that cool? And they're

00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:07.190
like, we hate you. He has another dream. Well,

00:22:07.210 --> 00:22:08.869
maybe they'll like me if I tell them this dream.

00:22:08.970 --> 00:22:11.509
Hey, guys, it's not just you. It's mom and dad

00:22:11.509 --> 00:22:16.630
and the whole family. Let's go tell dad. Dad's

00:22:16.630 --> 00:22:18.609
like, what? Brother's like, see, we hate him.

00:22:19.930 --> 00:22:22.549
And now here we are 22 years later. Joseph is

00:22:22.549 --> 00:22:24.470
standing there. He sees his brothers, and they're

00:22:24.470 --> 00:22:29.029
bowing down. What an amazing moment of faith

00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:31.410
building, right? Joseph has had these experiences

00:22:31.410 --> 00:22:33.410
through his life where God spoke to him and then

00:22:33.410 --> 00:22:36.069
things happened, right? That confirms I did hear

00:22:36.069 --> 00:22:38.970
from the Lord. God was speaking to me and then

00:22:38.970 --> 00:22:42.970
here is this long running one, 22 years until

00:22:42.970 --> 00:22:50.730
the fruition happens. And so his 10 bearded brothers

00:22:50.730 --> 00:22:54.670
are in front of him, older now, still recognizable

00:22:54.670 --> 00:22:59.019
to him. you know, this dream, the fulfillment

00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:02.440
of this dream, the dream they mocked. They had

00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:04.319
no idea it was being fulfilled. They just thought

00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.160
they were standing before someone very powerful,

00:23:06.279 --> 00:23:09.119
someone who had what they needed to live. And

00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:12.960
for Joseph, it's just this reminder, you know,

00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:15.279
God's promises aren't canceled because we suffer.

00:23:17.119 --> 00:23:20.339
God's promises aren't canceled because of delay.

00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:23.119
We often think that, right? God made a promise

00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:26.079
to me and we're like, It's been five minutes.

00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:31.619
What's going on, Lord? I know you're busy with

00:23:31.619 --> 00:23:33.839
like, you know, eternity in the universe, but

00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:39.779
five minutes. And then it's a whole day. I mean,

00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:42.940
right? I'm done. God isn't real. A whole day

00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:46.180
has gone by in his promises. But we've read so

00:23:46.180 --> 00:23:48.279
many stories through Genesis of years and years

00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:50.740
and years and years. And yet God's promises are

00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:56.190
always fulfilled. in his timing. For Joseph,

00:23:56.410 --> 00:23:59.009
man, yeah, a reminder, God's word never fails.

00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:02.849
It never fails, although it may wait. And when

00:24:02.849 --> 00:24:05.130
I say wait, that's from our perspective, right?

00:24:05.210 --> 00:24:07.809
Because God's not waiting. It's gonna be fulfilled

00:24:07.809 --> 00:24:10.690
exactly when he determined it would be. But for

00:24:10.690 --> 00:24:15.430
us, we need to be patient. So Joseph saw his

00:24:15.430 --> 00:24:17.309
brothers. He recognized them, but he treated

00:24:17.309 --> 00:24:19.549
them like strangers and spoke harshly to them.

00:24:20.150 --> 00:24:23.119
Where do you come from, he asked. From the land

00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:26.160
of Canaan to buy food, they replied. Although

00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:28.559
Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not

00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:33.240
recognize him. So he has the advantage here,

00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:37.819
obviously, right? They're 22 years older, but

00:24:37.819 --> 00:24:41.160
he still recognizes who they are, but they don't

00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:45.299
recognize him, and why would they? Right, Joseph

00:24:45.299 --> 00:24:49.579
is like, he's in full Egyptian cosplay right

00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:54.869
now. He's a part of the culture, not his character.

00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:57.809
He's a godly man, but he's wearing the Egyptian

00:24:57.809 --> 00:25:00.490
clothing and the robes and the gold collar around

00:25:00.490 --> 00:25:03.990
his neck. He probably has the eyeliner on that

00:25:03.990 --> 00:25:06.589
all the Egyptians wore, right? He looks Egyptian,

00:25:06.670 --> 00:25:09.250
no beard, because the Egyptians were clean -shaven.

00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:13.630
And then verse 23 tells us that he's speaking

00:25:13.630 --> 00:25:15.309
to them through a translator. So he's not even

00:25:15.309 --> 00:25:17.390
speaking Hebrew, he's speaking Egyptian. Why

00:25:17.390 --> 00:25:24.299
would they recognize him? And sometimes that's

00:25:24.299 --> 00:25:27.200
where we find ourselves when God is reawakening

00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:32.960
our conscience. And we stand before the very

00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:39.440
means of our salvation. And we don't realize

00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:45.059
it's him. We just think, I need what I need.

00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:48.839
And he speaks to them like strangers, it says,

00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:51.859
and harsh. It means unkind. He was kind of mean

00:25:51.859 --> 00:25:56.990
to them. He was kind of like treating them like

00:25:56.990 --> 00:25:59.230
the other foreigners. Who are you? Why are you

00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:03.109
here? You know, you're not Egyptian. And it was

00:26:03.109 --> 00:26:06.029
probably how they expected to be treated, to

00:26:06.029 --> 00:26:08.750
be quite honest. But when you look at it, you

00:26:08.750 --> 00:26:13.069
go, why is Joseph being mean? And we can't forget

00:26:13.069 --> 00:26:15.029
that even though Joseph is a Christ figure, he's

00:26:15.029 --> 00:26:17.509
not Christ. Joseph is still human. And so there's

00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:21.450
possible motivations behind this where Joseph

00:26:21.450 --> 00:26:25.089
is possibly, struggling and wrestling with, oh

00:26:25.089 --> 00:26:31.490
my gosh, they're here. They're at my power. They're

00:26:31.490 --> 00:26:37.829
under, I can do whatever I want to them. That's

00:26:37.829 --> 00:26:39.789
speculative, but I'll tell you why I think some

00:26:39.789 --> 00:26:42.170
of that might be there in a little bit. But what

00:26:42.170 --> 00:26:45.130
God is doing here is bringing them through this

00:26:45.130 --> 00:26:48.630
process of revealing their sin to have them face

00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:52.059
it. accept responsibility for it so that they

00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:55.839
could lead to or get to redemption. It's their

00:26:55.839 --> 00:26:58.720
character being revealed here. They're going

00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:00.619
through this process that is very intentional.

00:27:01.140 --> 00:27:03.319
You see, in Hebrews chapter 12, verse five and

00:27:03.319 --> 00:27:06.200
seven, it says, and have you forgotten the exhortation

00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:09.940
that addresses you as sons? My son, do not take

00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:12.440
the Lord's discipline lightly or lose heart when

00:27:12.440 --> 00:27:14.680
you are reproved by him for the Lord disciplines

00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:17.980
the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.

00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:23.460
Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing

00:27:23.460 --> 00:27:25.420
with you as sons. For what son is there that

00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:30.259
a father does not discipline? We go through bad

00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:33.880
stuff. It's easy for us to go, God's mad at me.

00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:37.839
If God was mad at me, things wouldn't be difficult.

00:27:39.119 --> 00:27:43.960
The Bible kind of says that's wrong. Well, if

00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:45.700
God was happy with me, everything would be good.

00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.500
If I do things God's way 100 % of the time, he'll

00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:54.099
bless me 100 % of the time. Not true. God's ways

00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:57.519
do lead to blessing, yes. God's ways are always

00:27:57.519 --> 00:28:01.420
the right way. But does that mean that you're

00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:04.200
gonna find yourself in a situation where there's

00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:06.640
no suffering, no difficulty, if you're doing

00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:09.599
what God wants you to do? No, he'll take you

00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.299
through things as he is molding you and shaping

00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:15.880
you to be the person he wants you to be. For

00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:17.900
these guys right now, they are God's people,

00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:22.460
right? They are God's chosen. And they are being

00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:24.740
disciplined here, in a sense, for the things

00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:27.039
they've done. They are being faced with what

00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:30.000
they have done. And it says, endure suffering

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.940
as discipline. When God is disciplining you,

00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:36.680
it's because he loves you. He loves you. I'm

00:28:36.680 --> 00:28:39.700
going to go out on a limb here and say something.

00:28:42.480 --> 00:28:44.779
I think the most unloving thing a parent can

00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:50.299
do for a child is not discipline them. Oh, but

00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:56.960
we don't tell our kids no. Now, I'm not saying

00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:58.960
how you discipline. Every parent has their different

00:28:58.960 --> 00:29:01.759
way to discipline. But the Bible is very clear

00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:04.119
that discipline comes from love. Now, I'm not

00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:06.599
talking about abuse. Abuse is criminal and wrong.

00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:10.680
But in some ways, in many ways, our culture has

00:29:10.680 --> 00:29:15.859
said discipline equals abuse. And that's not

00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:19.519
true. Proverbs tells us things like, you know,

00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:25.859
spare the rod, spoil the child. I think if there

00:29:25.859 --> 00:29:29.740
was more spankings, there might be less issues

00:29:29.740 --> 00:29:37.910
in society today. But again, not abuse. Not beatings.

00:29:38.150 --> 00:29:42.589
That's wrong. But it's like society has thrown

00:29:42.589 --> 00:29:47.170
out the baby with the bathwater on that. Don't

00:29:47.170 --> 00:29:49.450
say no. You have to say no or your kid's going

00:29:49.450 --> 00:29:54.890
to kill themselves. I was sitting with James

00:29:54.890 --> 00:29:57.390
once and I sit in the morning, I make coffee

00:29:57.390 --> 00:29:58.869
and then we sit down and we watch cartoons and

00:29:58.869 --> 00:30:01.369
it's great fun and I love it. And then I was

00:30:01.369 --> 00:30:04.549
sitting there and I went, I need to get up and

00:30:04.549 --> 00:30:07.339
get some coffee. And James like, Jumps out of

00:30:07.339 --> 00:30:08.920
the seat and runs over there and reaches up on

00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:10.740
the counter to start pulling the coffee pot off.

00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:19.819
No! Papa want coffee. Papa will get coffee himself.

00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:25.720
Now, we've got to say the no's and we've got

00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:28.500
to discipline and it's a biblical thing here

00:30:28.500 --> 00:30:31.119
and it tells us right there in Hebrews that the

00:30:31.119 --> 00:30:34.539
Lord disciplines the one he loves. Because he

00:30:34.539 --> 00:30:36.039
knows what's right for us and he knows what's

00:30:36.039 --> 00:30:37.319
wrong for us. And when we're doing the thing

00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:38.720
that's gonna be wrong for us and hurt us, he

00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:41.539
steps in. So this situation with the brothers

00:30:41.539 --> 00:30:43.839
here, they're being treated unkind, being treated

00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:46.400
harshly by Joseph. We'll get to that. But God

00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:49.359
is allowing this situation because he needs to

00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:51.500
get them to a place where they're gonna think,

00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:53.640
where they're gonna listen, where they're gonna

00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:56.140
realize, where they're gonna start to contemplate

00:30:56.140 --> 00:30:58.660
right, wrong, guilt, innocence, consequence.

00:30:59.579 --> 00:31:03.349
So verse nine. Joseph remembered his dreams about

00:31:03.349 --> 00:31:06.349
them and said to them, you are spies. You have

00:31:06.349 --> 00:31:09.549
come to see the weakness of the land. No, my

00:31:09.549 --> 00:31:12.250
lord. Your servants have come to buy food, they

00:31:12.250 --> 00:31:16.569
said. We are all sons of one man. We are honest.

00:31:17.490 --> 00:31:21.069
Your servants are not spies. No, he said to them.

00:31:21.190 --> 00:31:23.450
You have come to see the weakness of the land.

00:31:23.569 --> 00:31:26.470
But they replied, we, your servants, were 12

00:31:26.470 --> 00:31:30.069
brothers. The sons of one man in the land of

00:31:30.069 --> 00:31:32.900
Canaan. The youngest is now with our father and

00:31:32.900 --> 00:31:35.759
one is no longer living. And then Joseph said

00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:39.960
to them, I have spoken, you are spies. You like

00:31:39.960 --> 00:31:41.460
the voice? I don't know if that's his voice,

00:31:41.539 --> 00:31:47.000
but it sounds authoritative. So sometimes grace

00:31:47.000 --> 00:31:53.039
wears the disguise of severity. It feels severe.

00:31:54.099 --> 00:31:57.799
Grace. Grace is defined as receiving something

00:31:57.799 --> 00:32:02.029
you don't deserve. But sometimes receiving the

00:32:02.029 --> 00:32:04.210
thing you don't deserve can feel severe. It can

00:32:04.210 --> 00:32:09.170
feel difficult, right? They come before him.

00:32:09.170 --> 00:32:12.890
He recognizes them. He says, you are spies. Now,

00:32:12.990 --> 00:32:16.309
to jump into that a little bit, this is speculative

00:32:16.309 --> 00:32:18.910
as well, but a lot of commentators think that

00:32:18.910 --> 00:32:21.650
this whole process of you are spies. No, we're

00:32:21.650 --> 00:32:24.029
not. Yes, you are. No, we're not. Yes, you are.

00:32:25.929 --> 00:32:28.630
is duplicating what Joseph experienced when he

00:32:28.630 --> 00:32:31.089
was sent by his father to go check on his brothers.

00:32:31.529 --> 00:32:33.130
You remember when the brothers were like, we

00:32:33.130 --> 00:32:35.529
hate Joseph, we hate that stupid jacket he has.

00:32:35.670 --> 00:32:37.769
We're gonna take all the sheep and go 60 miles

00:32:37.769 --> 00:32:40.529
north to graze the sheep. And dad's like, hey

00:32:40.529 --> 00:32:43.250
Joseph, you told me the truth about what they

00:32:43.250 --> 00:32:44.930
were doing before. Can you go check on your brothers

00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:47.869
for me? So some commentators think that that

00:32:47.869 --> 00:32:50.049
whole situation, even though it's not detailed

00:32:50.049 --> 00:32:52.470
this way in scripture, went down in a very similar

00:32:52.470 --> 00:32:56.369
way. Hi guys. What are you here to spy on us?

00:32:57.369 --> 00:33:01.490
You're a spy for dad. No, I'm not. I just, I

00:33:01.490 --> 00:33:04.569
just, dad sent me to check on you. And so, no,

00:33:04.670 --> 00:33:10.390
you're a spy. Honest, guys. Honest. I just, I

00:33:10.390 --> 00:33:12.849
mean, I'm just trying to do what dad wants and

00:33:12.849 --> 00:33:15.029
why are you guys so mad at me? Nope, you're a

00:33:15.029 --> 00:33:17.509
spy for dad. Commentators think it might have

00:33:17.509 --> 00:33:19.910
went down that way. Doesn't say that specifically,

00:33:20.009 --> 00:33:23.730
but interesting thing to talk about. But regardless,

00:33:23.849 --> 00:33:26.869
Joseph is turning their accusations back on them,

00:33:26.970 --> 00:33:31.450
right? The accusers are now the accused, and

00:33:31.450 --> 00:33:35.609
so they're being put in the position that kind

00:33:35.609 --> 00:33:39.569
of they put Joseph in 22 years ago. Now, when

00:33:39.569 --> 00:33:42.190
they say one is no longer living, I can imagine

00:33:42.190 --> 00:33:46.009
that probably stung a little bit, right? He's

00:33:46.009 --> 00:33:50.329
like, I'm right here. But what they said was

00:33:50.329 --> 00:33:54.480
indeed true, right? It was honest. And what's

00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:56.880
happening here? I think God is using reciprocal

00:33:56.880 --> 00:33:59.759
experience to further wake up their conscience.

00:34:01.359 --> 00:34:03.480
See, sadly, one of the best ways we learn the

00:34:03.480 --> 00:34:07.700
effect of our sins and actions is when we suffer

00:34:07.700 --> 00:34:12.579
the effect of that sin and that action. We lie

00:34:12.579 --> 00:34:14.880
to someone and it devastates them and it devastates

00:34:14.880 --> 00:34:16.219
our friendship. And we're like, what's the big

00:34:16.219 --> 00:34:19.019
deal? It was just a lie. But then someone lies

00:34:19.019 --> 00:34:23.309
to you. and it devastates you, and it hurts your

00:34:23.309 --> 00:34:25.269
heart, and it breaks that friendship, feels different,

00:34:25.409 --> 00:34:28.469
doesn't it? It's not such a big deal anymore.

00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:31.809
Have you ever had that happen? That moment where

00:34:31.809 --> 00:34:34.230
you realize what you did to someone else because

00:34:34.230 --> 00:34:37.309
someone did it to you, and you're like, ouch,

00:34:37.489 --> 00:34:41.469
that hurts. That doesn't feel good at all. Is

00:34:41.469 --> 00:34:45.929
that what it felt like for that person who all

00:34:45.929 --> 00:34:48.030
these years I've been like, it wasn't a big deal?

00:34:48.989 --> 00:34:51.530
and yet it was a big deal to them, and you've

00:34:51.530 --> 00:34:53.530
never reconciled, and you just buried that sin?

00:34:55.150 --> 00:34:57.269
One of my favorite things to share with people

00:34:57.269 --> 00:34:58.809
in counseling when they're like, so -and -so

00:34:58.809 --> 00:35:01.110
did this to me, and I can't, and I'm struggling

00:35:01.110 --> 00:35:03.329
with it, and I'm like, have you ever done that

00:35:03.329 --> 00:35:09.849
to God? Well, yeah. They lied to me. Have you

00:35:09.849 --> 00:35:14.570
ever lied to God? Well, yeah. How did he respond?

00:35:15.710 --> 00:35:19.480
Is he holding a grudge? Well, no. Is he mad at

00:35:19.480 --> 00:35:23.320
you? No. Is he holding it against you? Is he

00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:25.460
going to get vengeance? No. He kind of died on

00:35:25.460 --> 00:35:27.840
the cross for that sin and welcomed me back with

00:35:27.840 --> 00:35:30.920
open arms and said, I forgive you. Well, what

00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:32.440
am I supposed to do? What do you think you're

00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:37.659
supposed to do? It's right there. It's right

00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:40.280
there. And so, you know, pain can be a wonderful

00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:43.519
mirror. A truth can often be revealed when we're

00:35:43.519 --> 00:35:47.139
on the receiving end of something. And so, God,

00:35:47.639 --> 00:35:49.880
I think lets things happen this way often. We

00:35:49.880 --> 00:35:54.260
wrong someone, we suppress it, we move on, then

00:35:54.260 --> 00:35:59.039
life turns it around on us, right? Puts us on

00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:01.059
the receiving end of something very similar,

00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:04.519
and suddenly our conscious wakes up. Oh my gosh.

00:36:05.260 --> 00:36:07.619
That thing I've always considered as, ah, not

00:36:07.619 --> 00:36:10.099
a big deal, suddenly I'm starting to recognize

00:36:10.099 --> 00:36:13.659
the gravity of what I've done. I'm starting to

00:36:13.659 --> 00:36:15.340
recognize that it was wrong. You know, the old

00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:17.159
law of sowing and reaping, it's not just about

00:36:17.159 --> 00:36:20.840
external things. It's internal as well. It causes

00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:24.420
us to remember seeds of sin that we buried long

00:36:24.420 --> 00:36:28.039
ago and forgotten about. And God does that on

00:36:28.039 --> 00:36:32.480
purpose. So, verse 15. This is how you will be

00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:34.739
tested. As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will

00:36:34.739 --> 00:36:36.980
not leave this place unless your youngest brother

00:36:36.980 --> 00:36:40.389
comes here. So send one from among you to get

00:36:40.389 --> 00:36:42.309
your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned

00:36:42.309 --> 00:36:45.110
so that your words can be tested to see if they

00:36:45.110 --> 00:36:47.829
are true. If they are not, then as surely as

00:36:47.829 --> 00:36:51.210
Pharaoh lives, you are spies. So Joseph imprisoned

00:36:51.210 --> 00:36:54.710
them together for three days. Now for the brothers,

00:36:54.829 --> 00:36:57.510
maybe this was a glimmer of hope. Like, we're

00:36:57.510 --> 00:37:01.110
telling you the truth, sir. You're spies, come

00:37:01.110 --> 00:37:04.489
on. And then he goes, okay, this is how we're

00:37:04.489 --> 00:37:07.699
gonna find out. It's just funny, right? Things

00:37:07.699 --> 00:37:10.519
are being turned around on them. They were the

00:37:10.519 --> 00:37:12.340
accusers of Joseph. Now they're the ones being

00:37:12.340 --> 00:37:14.739
accused by Joseph. They're the ones that threw

00:37:14.739 --> 00:37:16.920
Joseph into the cistern. Now Joseph is the one

00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:22.460
throwing them into prison. But three days in

00:37:22.460 --> 00:37:25.920
prison for them is nowhere near long enough to

00:37:25.920 --> 00:37:29.539
satisfy the 22 years of guilt that they have,

00:37:29.739 --> 00:37:32.300
right? They've been carrying guilt for a long

00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:34.599
time of this. They thought it was buried. God's

00:37:34.599 --> 00:37:36.679
bringing it back up and shoving it in their face.

00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.320
They're having to face it. They're having to

00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:40.559
deal with it. But this isn't about, you know,

00:37:40.619 --> 00:37:43.420
tit for tat and payback and all that. God is

00:37:43.420 --> 00:37:46.820
allowing this because he's giving them time to

00:37:46.820 --> 00:37:49.719
sit and think and ponder and reflect on all that

00:37:49.719 --> 00:37:55.260
is taking place. Three days to connect sin and

00:37:55.260 --> 00:37:59.730
consequence. Three days to start talking about,

00:37:59.829 --> 00:38:08.150
gosh, man, Egypt, Joseph, dad, Benjamin. Maybe

00:38:08.150 --> 00:38:10.329
they hadn't even brought it up for 22 years.

00:38:11.650 --> 00:38:13.510
Because we could be really good about not talking

00:38:13.510 --> 00:38:17.989
about our secret sins, right? Maybe somebody,

00:38:17.989 --> 00:38:19.789
and we're going to see that they finally do go,

00:38:19.949 --> 00:38:24.869
guys, I think I know why this is all happening.

00:38:26.800 --> 00:38:30.019
You know, silence is something God uses to form

00:38:30.019 --> 00:38:32.380
repentance in our hearts. It's not rushed very

00:38:32.380 --> 00:38:34.960
often. We want to rush people to repentance.

00:38:36.699 --> 00:38:38.760
You know, we have a friend or family member,

00:38:38.820 --> 00:38:40.260
somebody, and they finally start asking questions

00:38:40.260 --> 00:38:42.039
about God, and we're like, get saved right now!

00:38:43.280 --> 00:38:47.510
They're not there yet. They're not there yet.

00:38:47.550 --> 00:38:50.349
It's a process. And this process that they're

00:38:50.349 --> 00:38:52.110
going through here is this process of being alone

00:38:52.110 --> 00:38:54.969
with their thoughts. And they're in their head

00:38:54.969 --> 00:38:57.389
and they're rolling things over and chewing on

00:38:57.389 --> 00:39:01.789
it and all of that. And when that happens to

00:39:01.789 --> 00:39:06.369
us, it's God letting us come to the conclusions.

00:39:06.429 --> 00:39:09.849
It's God letting us through the influence of

00:39:09.849 --> 00:39:14.329
the Holy Spirit to realize. Especially when we're

00:39:14.329 --> 00:39:16.469
hurt. I mean, imagine them sitting in prison.

00:39:16.530 --> 00:39:20.070
We didn't do anything wrong. Why are we in prison?

00:39:21.050 --> 00:39:23.670
All we did was come to get food and we have money

00:39:23.670 --> 00:39:30.130
and what's going on? Oh. You guys remember, Joseph

00:39:30.130 --> 00:39:32.030
didn't deserve to be thrown in that cistern.

00:39:33.650 --> 00:39:38.900
And yet we did it anyways. It's that silence

00:39:38.900 --> 00:39:42.039
where it just brews. Sometimes we're sharing

00:39:42.039 --> 00:39:44.920
with people and everything. We're giving them

00:39:44.920 --> 00:39:48.300
the Lord, and we get frustrated, honestly. A

00:39:48.300 --> 00:39:49.639
lot of us get frustrated. I've been inviting

00:39:49.639 --> 00:39:50.960
them to church, and they won't come. What's wrong

00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:53.179
with them? So we start to get mad and frustrated

00:39:53.179 --> 00:39:58.119
with people. You need Jesus. Maybe we started

00:39:58.119 --> 00:40:00.280
out kind, but we get a little more agitated as

00:40:00.280 --> 00:40:02.860
they push back and they're not interested. We're

00:40:02.860 --> 00:40:07.590
like, ugh. We cannot change anybody's heart.

00:40:08.670 --> 00:40:16.909
But guess who can? God. And when they're going

00:40:16.909 --> 00:40:20.650
to bed and it's all silent and it's dark and

00:40:20.650 --> 00:40:22.670
they're in their head, guess who can speak to

00:40:22.670 --> 00:40:27.849
them? God. Now, in your head is the safest place

00:40:27.849 --> 00:40:29.550
to talk about things you're uncomfortable with

00:40:29.550 --> 00:40:32.610
because nobody can hear your voice. There's a

00:40:32.610 --> 00:40:42.440
fly. I'll try not to be distracted. In your head

00:40:42.440 --> 00:40:45.300
is where you can contemplate things that you

00:40:45.300 --> 00:40:49.300
wouldn't admit to anybody. And in someone's head

00:40:49.300 --> 00:40:54.219
is where the Spirit of God speaks. When they

00:40:54.219 --> 00:40:58.199
start to go, was that thing I did wrong? And

00:40:58.199 --> 00:41:03.760
they start to go, yeah, I think it was. We can't

00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:06.829
go in there. And so on the outside, I always

00:41:06.829 --> 00:41:09.710
encourage people, I'm like, continue to share

00:41:09.710 --> 00:41:12.230
truth, but be kind. Try not to get frustrated.

00:41:12.489 --> 00:41:14.050
Try not to get mad at them because they're not

00:41:14.050 --> 00:41:17.449
hearing you. Did you get saved the very first

00:41:17.449 --> 00:41:19.289
time you ever heard anything about the Lord?

00:41:19.429 --> 00:41:21.769
The second time, the tenth time? Most of us not.

00:41:24.230 --> 00:41:27.050
But it's here in this prison that God is allowing

00:41:27.050 --> 00:41:29.110
them to start to talk about what they had done.

00:41:29.960 --> 00:41:32.699
to start to connect their present circumstances

00:41:32.699 --> 00:41:36.340
to the past. And so verse 18, on the third day,

00:41:36.420 --> 00:41:41.940
Joseph said to them, I fear God. Do this and

00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:44.980
you will live. If you are honest, let one of

00:41:44.980 --> 00:41:47.420
you be confined to the guardhouse and the rest

00:41:47.420 --> 00:41:49.519
of you will go and take grain to relieve the

00:41:49.519 --> 00:41:51.719
hunger of your households. Bring your youngest

00:41:51.719 --> 00:41:53.739
brother to me so that your words can be confirmed

00:41:53.739 --> 00:41:56.840
and then you won't die. And they consented to

00:41:56.840 --> 00:42:01.179
this. There's all kinds of confusion going on

00:42:01.179 --> 00:42:03.500
for them right now. You're spies. No, we're not.

00:42:03.559 --> 00:42:06.300
You're spies. We're honest. You're spies. This

00:42:06.300 --> 00:42:08.179
is how we're gonna find out. One of you's gonna

00:42:08.179 --> 00:42:10.380
go home and get your brother. We can't get Benjamin.

00:42:10.519 --> 00:42:12.780
Dad's not gonna let that happen. But that's what

00:42:12.780 --> 00:42:15.260
you're gonna do. All right, so one of you's gonna

00:42:15.260 --> 00:42:16.980
go and the rest of you are gonna stay here. And

00:42:16.980 --> 00:42:18.260
then boom, they're all thrown into the prison.

00:42:18.420 --> 00:42:19.980
Well, if we're all in prison, how's one of us

00:42:19.980 --> 00:42:22.139
supposed to go get Benjamin? Which we can't do

00:42:22.139 --> 00:42:25.920
anyways. Man, this is a really difficult situation.

00:42:30.199 --> 00:42:35.380
Three days go by. Joseph, second most powerful

00:42:35.380 --> 00:42:37.239
man in the land, opens the door, and what's the

00:42:37.239 --> 00:42:43.699
first thing out of his mouth? I fear God. What

00:42:43.699 --> 00:42:47.559
is God doing in the process here? I'm sorry,

00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:52.800
but he's like right in my face, so. What did

00:42:52.800 --> 00:42:58.480
this Egyptian just say? Did you hear what he

00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:01.519
just said? You see, to understand this, we've

00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:03.199
got to jump into a little Hebrew here, okay?

00:43:03.980 --> 00:43:06.719
When Pharaoh said to Joseph, when Joseph came

00:43:06.719 --> 00:43:08.940
out and interpreted the dream, Pharaoh said,

00:43:09.219 --> 00:43:12.519
since God has made this known to you, da -da

00:43:12.519 --> 00:43:14.820
-da -da -da, and rose him up. The word God there

00:43:14.820 --> 00:43:17.059
in the Hebrew is Elohim. It's a word that means

00:43:17.059 --> 00:43:20.940
mighty one. It's not a word that refers to God

00:43:20.940 --> 00:43:24.059
Almighty, the God, Yahweh as the Hebrews knew

00:43:24.059 --> 00:43:28.059
him. It just refers to a mighty one. Sometimes

00:43:28.059 --> 00:43:30.539
when you're talking to people about the Lord

00:43:30.539 --> 00:43:31.880
and stuff and you're saying, no, there's one

00:43:31.880 --> 00:43:34.420
God, they'll quote verses like, well, there's

00:43:34.420 --> 00:43:36.159
places in the Bible where it says council of

00:43:36.159 --> 00:43:39.199
gods. And aren't you a council of gods and blah,

00:43:39.260 --> 00:43:42.920
blah, blah? You know, this is the answer to that,

00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:45.579
right? Council of gods, plural. It's the word

00:43:45.579 --> 00:43:49.400
Elohim, plural. Elohim means mighty ones. It

00:43:49.400 --> 00:43:52.340
doesn't only refer to supernatural gods. In the

00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:54.940
Old Testament, the judges, the people that were

00:43:54.940 --> 00:43:57.320
in control of things, they were referred to as

00:43:57.320 --> 00:44:00.239
gods because they had power over everything.

00:44:00.460 --> 00:44:06.019
Elohim. Make sense? Okay. Joseph here, when he

00:44:06.019 --> 00:44:08.579
says, I fear God, he doesn't just say Elohim.

00:44:08.619 --> 00:44:14.800
He says, et ha Elohim. In the grammatical structure

00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:19.480
in Hebrew, what he said to them is, I fear the

00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:26.880
God. That was his way in his Egyptian garb, in

00:44:26.880 --> 00:44:29.960
his Egyptian language, to tell them, I'm talking

00:44:29.960 --> 00:44:38.500
about God. Your God. I fear the God. The one

00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:40.460
true God. It's pretty amazing that he said it

00:44:40.460 --> 00:44:43.320
that way. You can imagine their shock, right?

00:44:43.559 --> 00:44:45.380
Number two guy in Egypt, wait, you're talking

00:44:45.380 --> 00:44:49.960
about Yahweh? You're talking about our God? You're

00:44:49.960 --> 00:44:52.139
not talking about Horus or all those? And, you

00:44:52.139 --> 00:44:54.639
know, in this process, sometimes God will speak

00:44:54.639 --> 00:44:57.360
through unexpected people to get your attention.

00:44:59.719 --> 00:45:02.440
In my story of coming to know the Lord, when

00:45:02.440 --> 00:45:06.960
I was 19, 18, I was working at Target. Didn't

00:45:06.960 --> 00:45:09.179
know the Lord, partying, living in the world.

00:45:10.359 --> 00:45:13.000
I was at work one day and I went up to help this

00:45:13.000 --> 00:45:17.579
old lady that was looking at the VCRs. And, you

00:45:17.579 --> 00:45:19.300
know, my job was just go help, right? You guys

00:45:19.300 --> 00:45:21.179
remember VCRs, right? Some of you are like, what

00:45:21.179 --> 00:45:27.820
is that? I was helping this lady make fire, okay?

00:45:27.960 --> 00:45:33.150
So, and... She's looking at it and she was just

00:45:33.150 --> 00:45:34.929
a sweet old lady and I could tell she's reading

00:45:34.929 --> 00:45:37.110
the boxes and she doesn't get it. And so I walk

00:45:37.110 --> 00:45:38.650
up to her and I'm like, excuse me, ma 'am, can

00:45:38.650 --> 00:45:41.070
I help you? Now, this is exactly how it went

00:45:41.070 --> 00:45:43.210
down. I'm gonna turn sideways because you are

00:45:43.210 --> 00:45:46.010
all me in this story. She's looking at the VCRs.

00:45:46.190 --> 00:45:48.130
Ma 'am, can I help you with anything? And she

00:45:48.130 --> 00:45:55.269
goes, where is your relationship with God? And

00:45:55.269 --> 00:45:59.849
I'm like, what? No lie, this is then what happens.

00:46:00.460 --> 00:46:04.059
She kind of blinks. What's the difference between

00:46:04.059 --> 00:46:10.300
a forehead and a two -head VCR? And I'm, what?

00:46:13.119 --> 00:46:17.119
Spooky. Got my attention. Scared me a little.

00:46:18.159 --> 00:46:20.159
I didn't bring it up. I'm not going to bring

00:46:20.159 --> 00:46:22.719
up, you know, Crypt Keeper lady going to talk

00:46:22.719 --> 00:46:27.880
to me like, oh, speaker, ghost. A few years later,

00:46:27.940 --> 00:46:30.059
I'm working at a different job. Now I'm working

00:46:30.059 --> 00:46:31.840
with the guy who's the guy who actually led me

00:46:31.840 --> 00:46:35.659
to Christ. He was backslidden in his own life,

00:46:35.820 --> 00:46:39.320
but he believed in the Lord and just had issues,

00:46:39.420 --> 00:46:40.920
but he would always talk to me about God every

00:46:40.920 --> 00:46:42.599
day at work, and we would go to stores and stock

00:46:42.599 --> 00:46:44.420
shelves and drive to another store and stock

00:46:44.420 --> 00:46:48.619
shelves. And one day, I'm at a pavilion's there

00:46:48.619 --> 00:46:51.840
to stock our company's product. And, you know,

00:46:51.840 --> 00:46:53.260
we were told that, you know, just be helpful

00:46:53.260 --> 00:46:55.320
while you're at work. And so, same thing. I'm

00:46:55.320 --> 00:46:57.460
going through. I cut through the toilet paper

00:46:57.460 --> 00:46:59.599
and paper towel aisle. And there's this older

00:46:59.599 --> 00:47:01.480
lady there. And she's just kind of looking and

00:47:01.480 --> 00:47:03.659
stuff. And so, I just stop. And, excuse me, ma

00:47:03.659 --> 00:47:05.980
'am, do you need help with anything? Different

00:47:05.980 --> 00:47:10.400
lady. Same exact thing happens. She turns and

00:47:10.400 --> 00:47:12.880
looks at me. Where's your relationship with God?

00:47:13.019 --> 00:47:18.429
And I'm like, whoa. And then blink, blink, turns

00:47:18.429 --> 00:47:20.329
back and goes, which one of these are on sale?

00:47:24.389 --> 00:47:26.289
So guess what I told my friend who had been witnessing

00:47:26.289 --> 00:47:28.110
to me for about a year and a half at that point?

00:47:28.590 --> 00:47:31.530
Bro, you're not going to believe what happened

00:47:31.530 --> 00:47:34.989
today. Now, I didn't get saved on the spot, but

00:47:34.989 --> 00:47:41.429
unlikely people to speak. It may be someone you

00:47:41.429 --> 00:47:43.289
would never expect to even say anything about

00:47:43.289 --> 00:47:45.090
God, and they're gonna speak something to you.

00:47:45.110 --> 00:47:47.409
They're gonna say something to you. It gets your

00:47:47.409 --> 00:47:51.750
attention. I think moral clarity is restored

00:47:51.750 --> 00:47:56.869
by a renewed fear of God. I had a fear of God

00:47:56.869 --> 00:47:58.590
in both of those moments. It probably wasn't

00:47:58.590 --> 00:48:01.230
the right fear of God, but wow, it got my attention.

00:48:02.869 --> 00:48:06.489
Now, you know, forgiveness is always grace. Forgiveness

00:48:06.489 --> 00:48:10.070
is not something we earn, but But it's through

00:48:10.070 --> 00:48:13.889
repentance. This process of coming to repentance

00:48:13.889 --> 00:48:17.829
often includes really enough time for people

00:48:17.829 --> 00:48:19.429
to actually face what they did and grieve it.

00:48:19.949 --> 00:48:21.949
God will get your attention. God will say something,

00:48:22.010 --> 00:48:23.869
right? This is what he's done with them. Egypt,

00:48:24.070 --> 00:48:27.530
oh, we're facing our sin. We're facing exactly

00:48:27.530 --> 00:48:30.670
what we did to our brother. And now God enters

00:48:30.670 --> 00:48:33.130
back into the picture. I fear God. Wait, is he

00:48:33.130 --> 00:48:39.670
talking about Yahweh? And now we're going to

00:48:39.670 --> 00:48:41.469
get to these next verses where they finally start

00:48:41.469 --> 00:48:44.789
to acknowledge what they've done. But he tells

00:48:44.789 --> 00:48:47.389
them, bring your younger brother to me. I think

00:48:47.389 --> 00:48:49.949
this is where Joseph may have still been wrestling

00:48:49.949 --> 00:48:53.429
a little bit with his stuff. This is how I'm

00:48:53.429 --> 00:48:55.590
going to know the truth. Go get Benjamin. It's

00:48:55.590 --> 00:48:58.050
possible that this first thing was like, I don't

00:48:58.050 --> 00:49:00.090
trust you guys. You guys are bad people. I'm

00:49:00.090 --> 00:49:02.429
trying to save my little brother. Hey, go bring

00:49:02.429 --> 00:49:04.429
him to me. And maybe Joseph's intent was to keep

00:49:04.429 --> 00:49:06.849
Benjamin and get out of here. That's speculation,

00:49:06.849 --> 00:49:10.909
but the idea is he tells them to do this, and

00:49:10.909 --> 00:49:12.610
are they going to abandon Joseph? Are they going

00:49:12.610 --> 00:49:14.530
to give him up to save their own skins just like

00:49:14.530 --> 00:49:16.070
they did to me? There's all this possibility

00:49:16.070 --> 00:49:18.650
here, but I want you to notice that the task

00:49:18.650 --> 00:49:21.269
Joseph gives them after the three days is different

00:49:21.269 --> 00:49:24.389
than the task before he threw him in prison.

00:49:25.409 --> 00:49:27.409
Before he threw him in prison, he said, send

00:49:27.409 --> 00:49:29.250
one of you to go get your brother. The rest of

00:49:29.250 --> 00:49:32.010
you I'm going to throw in jail. And then he throws

00:49:32.010 --> 00:49:36.360
them all in jail. And then three days later,

00:49:36.400 --> 00:49:39.559
he comes back and he says, okay, this is how

00:49:39.559 --> 00:49:40.739
we're gonna know if you're telling the truth.

00:49:41.760 --> 00:49:46.480
Nine of you go back and one of you stays. What

00:49:46.480 --> 00:49:51.760
changed between those two moments? I fear God.

00:49:53.659 --> 00:49:57.679
That's what changed. Perhaps Joseph was being

00:49:57.679 --> 00:50:01.280
harsher on them than the Lord had intended. Perhaps

00:50:01.280 --> 00:50:03.119
there was a little bit of his own just like,

00:50:03.199 --> 00:50:07.500
mm. I want to be forgiving, but I kind of want

00:50:07.500 --> 00:50:09.079
to get them for what they did to me. Perhaps,

00:50:09.079 --> 00:50:13.739
speculatively. But after three days, God influenced

00:50:13.739 --> 00:50:16.639
Joseph in some way. Something happened. It doesn't

00:50:16.639 --> 00:50:18.320
tell us whether it was a dream or this or that,

00:50:18.400 --> 00:50:20.900
but something happened to where Joseph comes

00:50:20.900 --> 00:50:22.719
back now, and the first thing out of his mouth

00:50:22.719 --> 00:50:27.820
with his brothers is like, I fear God. Maybe

00:50:27.820 --> 00:50:29.679
during those three days, God came to him in a

00:50:29.679 --> 00:50:33.969
dream and says, do you really fear me? then why

00:50:33.969 --> 00:50:37.469
are you treating them like this? I get it. I

00:50:37.469 --> 00:50:40.510
understand your frustrations. If I was in your

00:50:40.510 --> 00:50:42.250
place, maybe, but I'm not in your place and I'm

00:50:42.250 --> 00:50:43.710
God and I want you to do what I want you to do.

00:50:44.690 --> 00:50:49.150
Again, we don't know. But then after three days,

00:50:49.210 --> 00:50:51.289
he comes back with the same task, but now the

00:50:51.289 --> 00:50:55.110
task is altered. It's no longer send one of you

00:50:55.110 --> 00:50:58.690
to go bring the brother back to me. It's like

00:50:58.690 --> 00:51:02.409
he remembered the whole purpose they came. We're

00:51:02.409 --> 00:51:08.480
starving. Our family's starving. And Joseph kind

00:51:08.480 --> 00:51:15.659
of went from vengeance to compassion. Okay. Go

00:51:15.659 --> 00:51:17.139
back with nine of you. I'm going to load you

00:51:17.139 --> 00:51:18.500
up with green. I'm going to load you up with

00:51:18.500 --> 00:51:20.159
food. Take all this back to the family. I'll

00:51:20.159 --> 00:51:23.500
just keep one of you here. But still, you bring

00:51:23.500 --> 00:51:25.199
Benjamin back to me. That's how we're going to

00:51:25.199 --> 00:51:29.070
know you're telling the truth. Verse 21. Then

00:51:29.070 --> 00:51:30.909
they said to each other, obviously we are being

00:51:30.909 --> 00:51:32.630
punished for what we did to our brother. The

00:51:32.630 --> 00:51:35.909
moment of confession has arrived. We saw his

00:51:35.909 --> 00:51:38.070
deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we

00:51:38.070 --> 00:51:41.230
would not listen. That is why this trouble has

00:51:41.230 --> 00:51:44.510
come to us. But Reuben replied, didn't I tell

00:51:44.510 --> 00:51:47.190
you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen.

00:51:47.429 --> 00:51:50.610
Now we must account for his blood. They did not

00:51:50.610 --> 00:51:52.570
realize that Joseph understood them since there

00:51:52.570 --> 00:51:55.090
was an interpreter between them. He turned away

00:51:55.090 --> 00:51:58.019
from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke

00:51:58.019 --> 00:52:00.039
to them, he took Simeon from them and had him

00:52:00.039 --> 00:52:02.599
bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders

00:52:02.599 --> 00:52:05.079
to fill their containers with grain, return each

00:52:05.079 --> 00:52:07.219
man's silver to his sack, and give them provisions

00:52:07.219 --> 00:52:09.679
for their journey. This order was carried out.

00:52:09.739 --> 00:52:12.159
They loaded the grain on the donkeys and left

00:52:12.159 --> 00:52:16.679
there. So all that God has done so far has led

00:52:16.679 --> 00:52:19.079
to the point where the brothers finally, maybe

00:52:19.079 --> 00:52:21.340
for the first time in 22 years, we don't know,

00:52:21.460 --> 00:52:23.480
but the brothers amongst themselves are finally

00:52:23.480 --> 00:52:29.059
saying, what we did was wrong. No excuses, no

00:52:29.059 --> 00:52:31.519
deflection, no justification. This is godly guilt.

00:52:32.539 --> 00:52:35.280
This is godly guilt and that is a grace from

00:52:35.280 --> 00:52:39.019
God. Confession is the doorway to healing. That's

00:52:39.019 --> 00:52:42.079
why God tells us in 1 John, confess your sin

00:52:42.079 --> 00:52:47.280
that you may be healed. It's the pathway to dealing

00:52:47.280 --> 00:52:50.619
with guilt because you can't heal what you refuse

00:52:50.619 --> 00:52:54.659
to name. God, heal me from this thing that I'm

00:52:54.659 --> 00:52:59.119
pretending doesn't exist. How about we talk about

00:52:59.119 --> 00:53:01.679
it? How about we name it? Grace begins where

00:53:01.679 --> 00:53:05.679
excuses end, and it's an honest confession that

00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:08.840
God's mercy is invited in, right? God's mercy.

00:53:08.860 --> 00:53:13.619
Mercy is not getting what you do deserve. It's

00:53:13.619 --> 00:53:16.489
the opposite of grace. How is this God's mercy?

00:53:16.570 --> 00:53:18.750
When we come to a place finally where old sins

00:53:18.750 --> 00:53:20.670
have been brought to our face and we realize

00:53:20.670 --> 00:53:22.949
and we've kind of experienced it and going, wow,

00:53:23.030 --> 00:53:24.530
that really did hurt. I was so wrong. And we

00:53:24.530 --> 00:53:26.269
finally come to the place of going, you know

00:53:26.269 --> 00:53:28.849
what? I fully acknowledge that was wrong. It

00:53:28.849 --> 00:53:34.690
was evil. It was wicked. I deserve punishment.

00:53:36.809 --> 00:53:40.969
I deserve judgment for what I've done. God's

00:53:40.969 --> 00:53:45.510
mercy is when he comes in and he goes, yep. but

00:53:45.510 --> 00:53:50.050
I'm not going to. That's mercy. Not getting what

00:53:50.050 --> 00:53:53.969
you do deserve. Now Joseph here, he's listening

00:53:53.969 --> 00:53:56.010
and he's learning some things that I think are

00:53:56.010 --> 00:53:58.590
necessary for the healing of his own soul. Wait

00:53:58.590 --> 00:54:01.809
a second, Reuben, at least one of my brothers

00:54:01.809 --> 00:54:03.670
didn't want to do this to me? Oh my gosh, for

00:54:03.670 --> 00:54:05.590
22 years I thought they all just hated me to

00:54:05.590 --> 00:54:08.010
the point of wanting to kill me. And now I'm

00:54:08.010 --> 00:54:09.829
hearing that at least one of them was like, don't

00:54:09.829 --> 00:54:13.329
do this? Oh my gosh, I mean imagine the healing

00:54:13.329 --> 00:54:18.360
to his soul. He ties up Simeon. I think personally

00:54:18.360 --> 00:54:20.579
that's because Simeon was the cruelest of all

00:54:20.579 --> 00:54:24.159
the brothers. You remember back in Shechem when

00:54:24.159 --> 00:54:26.599
Simeon and Levi went and slaughtered all the

00:54:26.599 --> 00:54:30.000
guys? I think between Simeon and Levi, Simeon

00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:32.960
was the most ruthless, the most wicked, the most

00:54:32.960 --> 00:54:36.840
cruel. That's just a personal opinion, but he's

00:54:36.840 --> 00:54:39.799
the one that gets tied up and held back. Verse

00:54:39.799 --> 00:54:41.900
27, at the place where they lodged for the night,

00:54:41.960 --> 00:54:43.800
one of them opened his sack to get feed for his

00:54:43.800 --> 00:54:45.639
donkey and he saw the silver there at the top

00:54:45.639 --> 00:54:48.380
of his bag. He said to his brothers, my silver

00:54:48.380 --> 00:54:51.059
has been returned. It's here in my bag and their

00:54:51.059 --> 00:54:54.039
hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another

00:54:54.039 --> 00:54:57.900
and said, what has God done to us? Why are they

00:54:57.900 --> 00:55:00.920
trembling? We gave the money to buy the food.

00:55:01.059 --> 00:55:03.239
The money that we gave to buy the food is in

00:55:03.239 --> 00:55:05.909
our sack. They're going to think we stole it.

00:55:05.949 --> 00:55:08.110
They're going to think, oh my gosh, what happens?

00:55:08.170 --> 00:55:10.630
We're so scared. But I believe also what's going

00:55:10.630 --> 00:55:18.769
on here is we don't deserve that. They've been

00:55:18.769 --> 00:55:20.369
faced with everything they've done. They've been

00:55:20.369 --> 00:55:22.530
given a mercy. They've been given a grace. We're

00:55:22.530 --> 00:55:23.730
going to let you go home with grain. And now

00:55:23.730 --> 00:55:28.090
they find all their money there. It freaks them

00:55:28.090 --> 00:55:31.889
out. It scares them. They don't deserve the money.

00:55:33.519 --> 00:55:35.480
They just, they don't even deserve the food.

00:55:35.559 --> 00:55:36.840
I mean, I think they're coming to this place

00:55:36.840 --> 00:55:40.239
of understanding we deserve nothing after what

00:55:40.239 --> 00:55:45.380
we have done. This is part of the process. We're

00:55:45.380 --> 00:55:47.599
faced with our hidden and buried sin. Our conscious

00:55:47.599 --> 00:55:50.920
awakens. We experience something that is the

00:55:50.920 --> 00:55:53.539
same or similar ourselves. We realize the gravity

00:55:53.539 --> 00:55:55.320
of the wrong we have done. And then something

00:55:55.320 --> 00:55:59.900
happens that is unearned, unexpected, undeserved.

00:56:01.480 --> 00:56:03.980
Somebody tells us there is a God in heaven who

00:56:03.980 --> 00:56:06.539
knows every wrong you've ever committed and understands

00:56:06.539 --> 00:56:08.840
how deep it is, and you understand how deep it

00:56:08.840 --> 00:56:10.820
is now, and he loves you so much he wants to

00:56:10.820 --> 00:56:15.940
forgive you. No way, I don't deserve that. I'm

00:56:15.940 --> 00:56:20.019
unlovable. God can't love me. You've come to

00:56:20.019 --> 00:56:22.679
the place of recognizing you're wrong. That's

00:56:22.679 --> 00:56:27.440
a good place to be, but you're not done. And

00:56:27.440 --> 00:56:29.760
they get something here they weren't expecting.

00:56:29.860 --> 00:56:32.639
And, you know, for those who realize the depth

00:56:32.639 --> 00:56:36.119
of their sin and are expecting judgment, grace

00:56:36.119 --> 00:56:40.800
feels very unsafe. Grace is, oh, this doesn't

00:56:40.800 --> 00:56:44.960
feel right. Because we understand justice. We

00:56:44.960 --> 00:56:46.699
understand you do something wrong, there's a

00:56:46.699 --> 00:56:50.199
penalty that you have to pay. But this isn't

00:56:50.199 --> 00:56:53.380
a trap, it's an invitation. And so, for the first

00:56:53.380 --> 00:56:55.860
time in the story, the brothers name God. What

00:56:55.860 --> 00:57:00.199
has he done to us? Now they're in this frame

00:57:00.199 --> 00:57:05.579
of mind that God is controlling things. And yet

00:57:05.579 --> 00:57:07.559
their response is negative. You know, what has

00:57:07.559 --> 00:57:10.579
he done to us? But this grace that has been given

00:57:10.579 --> 00:57:13.139
upon and this kindness, it's awakened a godly

00:57:13.139 --> 00:57:17.179
fear in them. Right, when you realize that there's

00:57:17.179 --> 00:57:19.539
a God who loves you that is gonna judge sin,

00:57:19.619 --> 00:57:21.260
but he's willing to forgive you and grant you

00:57:21.260 --> 00:57:24.179
something you don't deserve, that creates a godly

00:57:24.179 --> 00:57:26.539
fear. There's a clarity of morality, as I mentioned

00:57:26.539 --> 00:57:36.460
earlier, that's like, who is this guy? Godly

00:57:36.460 --> 00:57:40.260
fear is the beginning of wisdom. Grace trains

00:57:40.260 --> 00:57:44.960
us to fear properly, not to despair. Grace is

00:57:44.960 --> 00:57:49.460
what teaches us I deserve nothing. But God gave

00:57:49.460 --> 00:57:53.860
it to me, and that means everything. It's not

00:57:53.860 --> 00:57:55.860
that, oh my gosh, he's this big scary guy who's

00:57:55.860 --> 00:57:57.219
waiting to throw a lightning bolt down on my

00:57:57.219 --> 00:58:00.039
head. No, he's this great, infinitely loving

00:58:00.039 --> 00:58:06.219
God who loved me so much that although I deserve

00:58:06.219 --> 00:58:08.420
death and punishment, I deserve hell forever.

00:58:10.509 --> 00:58:13.750
He's gonna not only sustain me and give me spiritual

00:58:13.750 --> 00:58:15.710
food to eat, but then he's gonna bless me on

00:58:15.710 --> 00:58:20.510
top of that. I can't deal with that kind of grace.

00:58:20.570 --> 00:58:27.230
It's too much. But this undeserved kindness fostered

00:58:27.230 --> 00:58:30.210
a fear in their souls, and it's kindness that

00:58:30.210 --> 00:58:33.690
leads us to repentance, as Romans says. Verse

00:58:33.690 --> 00:58:37.070
29. When they reached their father Jacob in the

00:58:37.070 --> 00:58:38.989
land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened

00:58:38.989 --> 00:58:41.510
to them. The man who is the Lord of the country

00:58:41.510 --> 00:58:43.789
spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying

00:58:43.789 --> 00:58:46.449
on the country. But we told him, we're honest

00:58:46.449 --> 00:58:49.809
and not spies. We were 12 brothers, sons of the

00:58:49.809 --> 00:58:52.489
same father. One is no longer living and the

00:58:52.489 --> 00:58:54.289
youngest is now with our father in the land of

00:58:54.289 --> 00:58:57.130
Canaan. The man who is Lord of the country said

00:58:57.130 --> 00:58:59.070
to us, this is how I will know if you were honest.

00:58:59.489 --> 00:59:02.030
Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve

00:59:02.030 --> 00:59:06.309
the hunger of your households and go. Bring back

00:59:06.309 --> 00:59:08.309
your youngest brother to me and I will know that

00:59:08.309 --> 00:59:10.809
you are not spies but honest men. I will then

00:59:10.809 --> 00:59:12.429
give your brother back to you and you could trade

00:59:12.429 --> 00:59:18.349
in our country. So the grace of receiving their

00:59:18.349 --> 00:59:20.949
money back, the repercussions of all of that,

00:59:21.010 --> 00:59:24.050
both, oh my gosh, what if we get caught and then

00:59:24.050 --> 00:59:29.250
the, why would they do this? All of that, having

00:59:29.250 --> 00:59:31.869
to now fulfill a task that Noah's possible, dad's

00:59:31.869 --> 00:59:34.630
not gonna let Benjamin go. They're in the process

00:59:34.630 --> 00:59:38.190
of coming to terms with the gravity of what they've

00:59:38.190 --> 00:59:41.809
done, the consequences of what they've done,

00:59:41.969 --> 00:59:44.250
the fact that there's this thing out there that

00:59:44.250 --> 00:59:48.610
is above and beyond justice and the penalty for

00:59:48.610 --> 00:59:51.190
their due, that there's grace out there somehow,

00:59:51.630 --> 00:59:54.829
and yet it's all bringing them to this place

00:59:54.829 --> 00:59:59.530
of facing. The reality in realizing there is

00:59:59.530 --> 01:00:06.369
nothing they can do to fix it. But it's really

01:00:06.369 --> 01:00:08.389
cool that God doesn't abandon us in the process,

01:00:08.570 --> 01:00:13.190
right? He finishes what he starts. And so we

01:00:13.190 --> 01:00:14.929
have to be careful not to rush what God's doing,

01:00:15.030 --> 01:00:17.610
but they're coming to the place of saying, we

01:00:17.610 --> 01:00:20.250
realize we've done wrong, but Benjamin, there's

01:00:20.250 --> 01:00:25.119
nothing we can do to fix this. Nothing. Verse

01:00:25.119 --> 01:00:28.119
35, as they began emptying their sacks, there

01:00:28.119 --> 01:00:30.900
in each man's sack was his bag of silver. Great!

01:00:32.699 --> 01:00:35.000
How much grace can be lavished upon us? It's

01:00:35.000 --> 01:00:37.780
too much. When they and their father saw the

01:00:37.780 --> 01:00:39.820
bags of silver, they were afraid. Same reason.

01:00:40.860 --> 01:00:42.579
What does this mean? Are we gonna get caught?

01:00:43.099 --> 01:00:47.300
It doesn't feel safe. Their father Jacob said

01:00:47.300 --> 01:00:50.539
to them, it's me that you make childless. Joseph

01:00:50.539 --> 01:00:52.699
is gone and now Simeon is gone and now you wanna

01:00:52.699 --> 01:00:56.730
take Benjamin? Everything happens to me. Then

01:00:56.730 --> 01:00:58.670
Reuben said to his father, look, you can kill

01:00:58.670 --> 01:01:00.590
my two sons if I don't bring them back to you.

01:01:00.610 --> 01:01:03.070
Put them in my care and I will return them to

01:01:03.070 --> 01:01:05.989
you. But Jacob answered, my son will not go down

01:01:05.989 --> 01:01:07.769
with you for his brother is dead and he alone

01:01:07.769 --> 01:01:10.389
is left. If anything happens to him on your journey,

01:01:10.429 --> 01:01:12.909
you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in

01:01:12.909 --> 01:01:19.590
sorrow. So Jacob is in full poor me mode. Understandable.

01:01:21.070 --> 01:01:24.480
I've lost Joseph. Simeon's now in Egypt, and

01:01:24.480 --> 01:01:27.059
now you want me to let you take Benjamin? You

01:01:27.059 --> 01:01:32.400
guys are crazy. No way. You're nuts. Reuben,

01:01:32.460 --> 01:01:35.780
finally acting as the leader he should have been

01:01:35.780 --> 01:01:38.260
the whole time, steps up. And, you know, I believe

01:01:38.260 --> 01:01:41.539
Reuben's own guilt over what he allowed, what

01:01:41.539 --> 01:01:44.840
he participated in, his own guilt now is driving

01:01:44.840 --> 01:01:47.460
him to make this really just dramatic pledge.

01:01:48.650 --> 01:01:51.789
Dad, if you lose two sons, you can take my two

01:01:51.789 --> 01:01:55.989
sons. That shows an incredible understanding

01:01:55.989 --> 01:02:00.349
of what he has caused to his father, the pain

01:02:00.349 --> 01:02:02.949
that he has caused his father. I'm willing to

01:02:02.949 --> 01:02:05.969
go through that same pain because I get it, Dad.

01:02:06.030 --> 01:02:11.650
I get how much I've sinned against you. But Jacob's

01:02:11.650 --> 01:02:14.349
fear, based on incomplete information, it just

01:02:14.349 --> 01:02:17.250
causes him to despair, to refuse, and if he only

01:02:17.250 --> 01:02:23.070
knew. His beloved son was alive in that other

01:02:23.070 --> 01:02:26.050
country, feeding nations, ruling. I mean, how

01:02:26.050 --> 01:02:28.130
many times have we been there, right? God, everything's

01:02:28.130 --> 01:02:31.690
against me. God, it's just everything's going

01:02:31.690 --> 01:02:35.090
wrong, and this is just impossible, and I'm not

01:02:35.090 --> 01:02:38.789
even going to try anymore. Nope. You can't have

01:02:38.789 --> 01:02:43.769
that which is most precious to me, God. And the

01:02:43.769 --> 01:02:45.489
Lord's just going, if you only knew what I was

01:02:45.489 --> 01:02:49.409
arranging. If you would just let me finish the

01:02:49.409 --> 01:02:54.849
chapter, we'll get there. But with their awakened

01:02:54.849 --> 01:02:59.429
conscience, their dad's despair, their dad's

01:02:59.429 --> 01:03:02.429
response, I believe, just drove that dagger of

01:03:02.429 --> 01:03:07.349
guilt even deeper into their hearts, right? Now,

01:03:07.389 --> 01:03:09.250
the chapter ends unresolved, and we'll pick up

01:03:09.250 --> 01:03:13.679
the rest next time. But it ends here, and we're

01:03:13.679 --> 01:03:16.599
ending here, because their story is still unfolding.

01:03:16.639 --> 01:03:21.139
They haven't yet reached the point. And we just

01:03:21.139 --> 01:03:23.699
have to understand, God doesn't rush redemption.

01:03:24.940 --> 01:03:28.400
We want to rush redemption, but God doesn't rush

01:03:28.400 --> 01:03:33.059
it. It took me 12 years from the point I was

01:03:33.059 --> 01:03:35.420
introduced to the concept of God to the point

01:03:35.420 --> 01:03:40.639
where I gave my life to him. 12 years. My mom,

01:03:40.719 --> 01:03:43.440
it took 10 years before she fully embraced Christ.

01:03:47.719 --> 01:03:51.380
Those were our journeys. Some of you, the first

01:03:51.380 --> 01:03:52.619
time you heard about them, you're like, oh, it

01:03:52.619 --> 01:03:54.460
makes sense, I'm saved. Great, hallelujah, that's

01:03:54.460 --> 01:03:57.199
awesome. But most of us, it was a process, right?

01:03:58.760 --> 01:04:02.199
It was a string of things God did to you. bring

01:04:02.199 --> 01:04:06.300
our sin nature to the forefront and to bring

01:04:06.300 --> 01:04:08.860
us to a place where it was now, oh, I've done

01:04:08.860 --> 01:04:10.639
some things wrong, but here's my excuses and

01:04:10.639 --> 01:04:12.139
everything. No, we got to the point where we

01:04:12.139 --> 01:04:16.619
just finally went, yeah, I'm wicked. I've done

01:04:16.619 --> 01:04:19.699
wrong, evil things. And then we gotta come to

01:04:19.699 --> 01:04:21.599
the place of accepting that there's a God who

01:04:21.599 --> 01:04:25.480
loves us. Because no, you can't love me, I'm

01:04:25.480 --> 01:04:28.139
too bad. But finally we get there. God draws

01:04:28.139 --> 01:04:31.429
us to that place and we go, God. I believe you'd

01:04:31.429 --> 01:04:38.510
save me. Will you? And then you're redeemed.

01:04:39.909 --> 01:04:43.309
And then you're redeemed. Everyone has a conscience.

01:04:44.280 --> 01:04:46.400
It can be suppressed and ignored and seared,

01:04:46.420 --> 01:04:49.119
but God can reawaken it. That's what he does.

01:04:49.260 --> 01:04:51.340
And when he does, yeah, it can be painful, it

01:04:51.340 --> 01:04:53.539
can be difficult, but that's grace and that's

01:04:53.539 --> 01:04:56.099
mercy. And, you know, because the awareness of

01:04:56.099 --> 01:04:58.380
our sin and the guilt and the sorrow and the

01:04:58.380 --> 01:05:01.340
fear, all of that stuff, it's grace that leads

01:05:01.340 --> 01:05:05.159
us to the place of repentance. You know, 2 Corinthians

01:05:05.159 --> 01:05:08.699
7 .10 says, for godly grief produces a repentance

01:05:08.699 --> 01:05:14.010
that leads to salvation without regret. God doesn't

01:05:14.010 --> 01:05:15.710
bring these things up in our lives to condemn

01:05:15.710 --> 01:05:19.190
us. There's a big difference between condemnation

01:05:19.190 --> 01:05:21.849
and conviction. Condemnation drives you away

01:05:21.849 --> 01:05:24.969
from God. Condemnation says you're done, you're

01:05:24.969 --> 01:05:27.989
worthless, run as far as you can, he can't love

01:05:27.989 --> 01:05:29.590
you, he'll never love you, you're unlovable.

01:05:30.769 --> 01:05:33.269
And that's incidentally what the devil does,

01:05:33.550 --> 01:05:39.690
condemns. But conviction says you sinned, you

01:05:39.690 --> 01:05:44.659
did, it was bad. You're a sinner. You deserve

01:05:44.659 --> 01:05:49.300
judgment. I know. I deserve bad judgment. Yeah.

01:05:52.099 --> 01:05:54.780
There's nothing you could do about it. Benjamin's

01:05:54.780 --> 01:05:59.019
not going to be released. You're done. But then

01:05:59.019 --> 01:06:05.199
conviction says, but you can come home. It says

01:06:05.199 --> 01:06:07.360
you can confess, you can repent, you can receive

01:06:07.360 --> 01:06:09.829
grace. You don't have to be afraid of grace.

01:06:09.869 --> 01:06:12.789
You could run from it. You could be saved. That's

01:06:12.789 --> 01:06:16.050
what conviction does. Satan loves to use guilt

01:06:16.050 --> 01:06:19.769
to defeat us. And every time Satan's whispering

01:06:19.769 --> 01:06:22.309
those accusations into our ears, if we're honest,

01:06:22.530 --> 01:06:27.110
most of them are true. You did this. I did. You

01:06:27.110 --> 01:06:30.289
said this. I did. How dare you? You're right.

01:06:30.389 --> 01:06:36.849
How dare me? God will never love you. Hold up

01:06:36.849 --> 01:06:41.619
there, sir. God does love me. The Holy Spirit

01:06:41.619 --> 01:06:44.820
uses guilt differently. He convicts us so that

01:06:44.820 --> 01:06:47.699
we'll come to him desperate, saying, God, there's

01:06:47.699 --> 01:06:49.599
nothing I could do to pay for my own sins. There's

01:06:49.599 --> 01:06:52.400
no good I could do. I need you. It's only you.

01:06:52.480 --> 01:06:57.360
And he goes, awesome. I'm glad you're home. Now,

01:06:57.420 --> 01:06:59.139
if you have a long -buried, possibly forgotten

01:06:59.139 --> 01:07:02.440
sin that maybe God has stirred up today, or maybe

01:07:02.440 --> 01:07:04.780
he's been stirring it up recently, I believe

01:07:04.780 --> 01:07:07.679
God's calling you home. I really believe that.

01:07:08.679 --> 01:07:10.880
I believe God has reawakened your conscience

01:07:10.880 --> 01:07:12.860
about that long buried sin so that you could

01:07:12.860 --> 01:07:17.159
finally deal with it. Now, if it's a picture

01:07:17.159 --> 01:07:19.760
of you've never come to the Lord, yeah, God is

01:07:19.760 --> 01:07:23.000
going, look, be honest about who you are. Be

01:07:23.000 --> 01:07:24.780
honest about what you've done. You're a sinner.

01:07:24.840 --> 01:07:30.920
You've sinned. And that means punishment needs

01:07:30.920 --> 01:07:36.190
to be meted out. You're guilty. That's why all

01:07:36.190 --> 01:07:37.969
that's coming up. If you're a Christian today

01:07:37.969 --> 01:07:39.909
and God's stirring all that up, you're saved.

01:07:40.570 --> 01:07:42.750
But there's a poison in your life God wants to

01:07:42.750 --> 01:07:44.769
get out so you can move past it and move on and

01:07:44.769 --> 01:07:48.070
heal. God has awakened your consciousness today

01:07:48.070 --> 01:07:52.809
not to condemn you, but to redeem you, to save

01:07:52.809 --> 01:07:56.369
you, to lavish you with grace and mercy and forgiveness.

01:07:56.530 --> 01:07:59.050
And so, yeah, today may be the day of your salvation

01:07:59.050 --> 01:08:05.269
if God is speaking to you, if you're aware. If

01:08:05.269 --> 01:08:11.849
you know, listen. Respond. Receive grace. Be

01:08:11.849 --> 01:08:17.430
forgiven, saved, and redeemed forever. Let's

01:08:17.430 --> 01:08:21.270
pray. Father, we do thank you, Lord, for your

01:08:21.270 --> 01:08:23.350
word and everything that you are, everything

01:08:23.350 --> 01:08:25.529
that you've done, everything that you example

01:08:25.529 --> 01:08:32.229
for us. Lord, your word tells us that you so

01:08:32.229 --> 01:08:36.750
loved The entire world. That's every single one

01:08:36.750 --> 01:08:40.850
of us, God. That you gave your only begotten

01:08:40.850 --> 01:08:46.630
son. So that out of that everyone, whoever would

01:08:46.630 --> 01:08:50.289
choose to believe in you, to believe that you

01:08:50.289 --> 01:08:54.229
were God come to this earth, that you died on

01:08:54.229 --> 01:08:57.510
the cross to pay for us breaking your holy law,

01:08:57.689 --> 01:09:01.329
to take the death penalty that was due to us

01:09:01.329 --> 01:09:06.739
upon yourself. That if we would believe that

01:09:06.739 --> 01:09:09.399
you then rose from the dead, breaking the power

01:09:09.399 --> 01:09:15.079
of sin and death forever, that if we would believe

01:09:15.079 --> 01:09:19.840
in you, if we would confess that with our mouths

01:09:19.840 --> 01:09:21.979
and believe in our heart, we would be saved.

01:09:25.300 --> 01:09:27.359
And so God, I don't know who is here today that

01:09:27.359 --> 01:09:29.079
needed to hear this message, but I know they

01:09:29.079 --> 01:09:32.729
needed to hear it. And I know, God, you've been

01:09:32.729 --> 01:09:34.449
speaking to them through this whole study. And,

01:09:34.449 --> 01:09:41.090
Lord, I know you've been drawing them. And so,

01:09:41.189 --> 01:09:45.010
God, I pray that they're listening. If you're

01:09:45.010 --> 01:09:46.550
here in this room this morning and you've never

01:09:46.550 --> 01:09:48.550
committed your life to Jesus Christ, while we're

01:09:48.550 --> 01:09:52.029
praying, just head bowed, this is between you

01:09:52.029 --> 01:09:55.390
and God right now. If God has been speaking to

01:09:55.390 --> 01:09:56.869
you, if you've been going through that process

01:09:56.869 --> 01:09:59.189
of having these old things like stirred back

01:09:59.189 --> 01:10:01.250
up and brought in front of your mind, and that

01:10:01.250 --> 01:10:03.369
has led you a place of feeling guilty because

01:10:03.369 --> 01:10:05.689
you know it's wrong, you know it's bad, and there's

01:10:05.689 --> 01:10:11.270
that emptiness, that yearning to, I deserve punishment,

01:10:11.350 --> 01:10:13.529
but I want to be forgiven. I want to be set free

01:10:13.529 --> 01:10:15.970
from this guilt. If that is you this morning,

01:10:16.010 --> 01:10:20.770
God is here to forgive you. God is here to save

01:10:20.770 --> 01:10:23.130
you, but you have to receive the gift he offers

01:10:23.130 --> 01:10:26.439
you. He doesn't force it upon you. You have to

01:10:26.439 --> 01:10:30.000
say, yes, God, I believe in you, and please forgive

01:10:30.000 --> 01:10:34.399
me. And he will. So if that's you sitting here

01:10:34.399 --> 01:10:36.380
right now while our heads bowed and eyes are

01:10:36.380 --> 01:10:37.779
closed, I just want you to raise your hand where

01:10:37.779 --> 01:10:39.960
you're seated. You don't need to stand up or

01:10:39.960 --> 01:10:41.460
anything like that. Just raise your hand and

01:10:41.460 --> 01:10:43.520
say, yes, I want to be saved today. I want to

01:10:43.520 --> 01:10:46.659
be forgiven. God bless you. I want that guilt

01:10:46.659 --> 01:10:52.010
to be dealt with and gone because I get it. I've

01:10:52.010 --> 01:10:55.050
sinned. I get it. It's bad. And it's tearing

01:10:55.050 --> 01:10:57.930
me up. If you want to receive Jesus today, just

01:10:57.930 --> 01:10:59.909
raise your hand. Let me see it. And I'll pray

01:10:59.909 --> 01:11:03.710
with you this morning. God bless you. If there's

01:11:03.710 --> 01:11:05.609
any of you in this room this morning and you're

01:11:05.609 --> 01:11:07.670
a Christian already, you've confessed, you believe

01:11:07.670 --> 01:11:10.689
in God, you've received him. But maybe this morning

01:11:10.689 --> 01:11:13.090
God has been going, hey, remember that thing?

01:11:14.829 --> 01:11:17.329
Remember that that you buried a year ago, 10

01:11:17.329 --> 01:11:22.149
years ago, 40 years ago? Remember that sin that

01:11:22.149 --> 01:11:25.050
you've just tried to forget and maybe you thought

01:11:25.050 --> 01:11:29.050
you got away with? You didn't. I know it's there.

01:11:30.149 --> 01:11:33.109
And the guilt inhibits what I want to do in your

01:11:33.109 --> 01:11:34.789
life and I want to free you from that. If that's

01:11:34.789 --> 01:11:38.829
you this morning, I want you to raise your hand

01:11:38.829 --> 01:11:40.890
and let me pray with you this morning. God bless

01:11:40.890 --> 01:11:43.909
you. Anybody else? God bless you in the back

01:11:43.909 --> 01:11:47.340
and all over the room. God bless you guys. Because

01:11:47.340 --> 01:11:49.979
this is the moment, this is the place where that

01:11:49.979 --> 01:11:53.960
healing begins. Anybody else? God has pointed

01:11:53.960 --> 01:11:55.739
it out to you. You know it and you want to unbury

01:11:55.739 --> 01:11:59.699
it finally and get rid of it finally. Raise your

01:11:59.699 --> 01:12:01.220
hand and let me pray with you this morning. In

01:12:01.220 --> 01:12:03.659
the back, I see you. On the side as well, I see

01:12:03.659 --> 01:12:06.239
you right here in the middle. In the front, I

01:12:06.239 --> 01:12:15.689
see you as well. God, you are here. God, you

01:12:15.689 --> 01:12:18.289
see every hand that has been raised. You see

01:12:18.289 --> 01:12:21.890
the heart. Lord, because you've already been

01:12:21.890 --> 01:12:28.289
doing the work. God, for those that don't know

01:12:28.289 --> 01:12:29.890
you, Lord, they've never had that relationship

01:12:29.890 --> 01:12:32.890
and they've confessed today that they know they

01:12:32.890 --> 01:12:35.670
need salvation. They want to be free from the

01:12:35.670 --> 01:12:37.550
penalty and the guilt and all that is. They want

01:12:37.550 --> 01:12:43.979
to be able to leave that stuff with you. I pray,

01:12:44.039 --> 01:12:45.859
Lord, that as in their own hearts, as they say,

01:12:45.899 --> 01:12:56.640
God, please forgive me. Save my soul. Please

01:12:56.640 --> 01:13:01.979
cleanse me of guilt. Please take condemnation

01:13:01.979 --> 01:13:08.279
away from me. Thank you for loving me, and thank

01:13:08.279 --> 01:13:13.819
you for saving me. Lord, for those that are believers

01:13:13.819 --> 01:13:18.060
here today, God, you don't abandon us, God, and

01:13:18.060 --> 01:13:20.819
we're still sinners, and you're still working,

01:13:20.920 --> 01:13:22.720
and God, for all who have raised their hand today,

01:13:22.880 --> 01:13:25.899
Lord, that you've maybe revealed a secret sin,

01:13:26.039 --> 01:13:29.439
a buried sin, something long left that you have

01:13:29.439 --> 01:13:32.720
now today brought to the forefront and just kind

01:13:32.720 --> 01:13:36.859
of hitting them with it over and over so that

01:13:36.859 --> 01:13:39.699
there's no possibility of forgetting again, Lord.

01:13:40.590 --> 01:13:42.789
You've done this that you may be able to extend

01:13:42.789 --> 01:13:44.989
the grace and the mercy and repentance. And so,

01:13:45.010 --> 01:13:47.189
Lord, I pray that those that have done that,

01:13:47.250 --> 01:13:52.189
God, as we pray together and say, God, I've sinned.

01:13:53.109 --> 01:13:58.010
I am a sinner. I'm so grateful for the salvation

01:13:58.010 --> 01:14:02.609
you've given me. I am so grateful for the areas

01:14:02.609 --> 01:14:07.970
of my life you have changed me. But, God, this

01:14:07.970 --> 01:14:14.760
thing, I've kept it buried too long. I've tried

01:14:14.760 --> 01:14:19.779
to ignore it. I've tried to pretend it doesn't

01:14:19.779 --> 01:14:23.779
exist or it's not as bad as it really is. And

01:14:23.779 --> 01:14:28.939
God, I just, I don't want to live in guilt. I

01:14:28.939 --> 01:14:31.039
believe your word that says I'm free from these

01:14:31.039 --> 01:14:37.140
things. And so God, I choose to not live that

01:14:37.140 --> 01:14:41.399
way anymore. God, tell me what you want to do

01:14:41.399 --> 01:14:47.760
to resolve this long -buried sin. Give me wisdom,

01:14:47.920 --> 01:14:51.500
whether it's I have to talk to somebody, I have

01:14:51.500 --> 01:14:53.479
to go somewhere, I have to lay something down,

01:14:53.680 --> 01:14:56.439
I have to resolve a situation, whatever it may

01:14:56.439 --> 01:15:02.760
be, God. Show me. And through the power of the

01:15:02.760 --> 01:15:09.670
Holy Spirit, lead me. to deal with and resolve

01:15:09.670 --> 01:15:16.350
this sin I've held on to. And I trust you, and

01:15:16.350 --> 01:15:19.630
I trust your word that you will set me free,

01:15:19.770 --> 01:15:23.109
that I will be healed. You've done that in other

01:15:23.109 --> 01:15:25.569
areas of my life already, Lord. I know you'll

01:15:25.569 --> 01:15:29.569
do it in this one. Thank you for loving me so

01:15:29.569 --> 01:15:38.529
much that you would be so patient with me. waiting

01:15:38.529 --> 01:15:42.329
for me to come to this moment. But I'm here.

01:15:44.069 --> 01:15:47.149
Let's get to work. Let's deal with what we need

01:15:47.149 --> 01:15:51.350
to deal with. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

01:15:53.069 --> 01:15:55.750
Well, guys, I pray that God would just bless

01:15:55.750 --> 01:15:57.710
you. Those of you that got stuff to deal with,

01:15:57.810 --> 01:15:59.930
it's going to be hard. It's going to be scary.

01:15:59.989 --> 01:16:04.939
It's going to be uncomfortable. If taking a brother

01:16:04.939 --> 01:16:07.359
or sister with you and dealing with it is going

01:16:07.359 --> 01:16:10.060
to provide you support, do that. You have people

01:16:10.060 --> 01:16:13.420
who love you around you who are right with you

01:16:13.420 --> 01:16:15.640
to say, I'm here. I want to see you free too.

01:16:15.779 --> 01:16:17.819
That's what we are as the family of Christ. If

01:16:17.819 --> 01:16:19.340
it's something you have to deal with privately,

01:16:19.560 --> 01:16:25.840
God is with you and you're not alone. But don't

01:16:25.840 --> 01:16:29.380
wait. You've waited too long already. Freedom

01:16:29.380 --> 01:16:31.460
is right before you. We have a whole new year.

01:16:31.579 --> 01:16:35.260
Let's do things different. Let's do things better.

01:16:36.579 --> 01:16:39.619
Let's yield ourselves to him better. Let's shine

01:16:39.619 --> 01:16:42.560
brighter for him and maybe this is the first

01:16:42.560 --> 01:16:44.260
step in dealing with some of those dark things.

01:16:44.979 --> 01:16:48.779
Get rid of him. Let him do his work. We're gonna

01:16:48.779 --> 01:16:51.500
close in worship. I pray that we all, every single

01:16:51.500 --> 01:16:55.260
one of us, praise God. Praise God for the one

01:16:55.260 --> 01:16:58.520
that, he's the one that delivers us. He's the

01:16:58.520 --> 01:17:00.199
one that sets us free. He's the one that does

01:17:00.199 --> 01:17:04.850
what we can't. And praise God for what your year

01:17:04.850 --> 01:17:07.430
is going to be like as you're free from the hidden

01:17:07.430 --> 01:17:09.850
sins. Amen? God bless you guys.