WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.220 Today in the Word, we're going to be in Genesis 00:00:02.220 --> 00:00:06.839 chapter 45, looking at three aspects of reunion 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:10.789 and reconciliation. I don't know if you've ever 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.269 been in the position where you're, you know, 00:00:13.269 --> 00:00:16.089 went to the airport to pick up a loved one who's 00:00:16.089 --> 00:00:18.429 been gone on a trip for some amount of time and, 00:00:18.489 --> 00:00:20.969 you know, you're in that moment where, you know, 00:00:20.969 --> 00:00:22.789 all the people are coming off the plane or into 00:00:22.789 --> 00:00:24.949 the baggage claim area and you're looking and 00:00:24.949 --> 00:00:28.170 you're all excited and, you know, nope, that's 00:00:28.170 --> 00:00:31.030 not them and nope, nope, not yet. And, you know, 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:33.429 just the anticipation of seeing them and then 00:00:33.429 --> 00:00:36.719 finally it's like, there they are, right? And 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:39.060 then as the movies have taught us, time slows 00:00:39.060 --> 00:00:41.740 down as we run across the airport to one another, 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:45.460 right? And we embrace and, oh, I'm so glad to 00:00:45.460 --> 00:00:49.140 see you and kisses and hugs and tears. And I 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:50.640 read a quote the other day and someone said, 00:00:50.719 --> 00:00:54.719 reunion has a sound. And I think that's the sound 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:58.060 of reunion is the gladness together. But, you 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:01.990 know, it's coming together. being reunited with 00:01:01.990 --> 00:01:03.869 those that we love, especially when there's times 00:01:03.869 --> 00:01:07.090 of estrangement, is beautiful. It's a beautiful 00:01:07.090 --> 00:01:09.950 thing. And Genesis 45 is one of those moments, 00:01:09.989 --> 00:01:12.849 but it's quite a bit heavier than that because 00:01:12.849 --> 00:01:15.950 it's not just a reunion, it's a reconciliation. 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:18.819 And the reason I say that's heavier is because 00:01:18.819 --> 00:01:23.599 reconciliation often carries a heavier weight, 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:27.140 in some cases a more dangerous weight, because 00:01:27.140 --> 00:01:31.159 when the reconciliation happens, it's often that 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:33.459 moment of reunion with someone who has hurt you. 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:36.439 or broke you, or wronged you in some significant 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:39.739 way. And, you know, for 22 years in the Genesis 00:01:39.739 --> 00:01:43.280 here, Joseph's story has been moving towards 00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:46.500 this very moment of reconciliation. It's one 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:48.519 of those moments in Scripture where things seem 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:51.959 to slow down, and we kind of zoom into this emotional 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.859 moment, and kind of looking into people's minds 00:01:54.859 --> 00:01:56.799 and what they're feeling. And, you know, when 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:58.959 this moment begins, as we're going to see today, 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:02.909 it doesn't begin with accusation. As Joseph is 00:02:02.909 --> 00:02:04.450 finally going to be in the place of revealing 00:02:04.450 --> 00:02:06.890 himself to his brothers. You know, I am Joseph. 00:02:07.569 --> 00:02:10.830 And there's no accusation. There's no blame. 00:02:11.009 --> 00:02:15.909 There's no explanation or justification or flexing 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:19.389 of power. Instead, there's just weeping. Uncontrollable 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:23.840 weeping. And really, it's because... reconciliation, 00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:27.460 and when we find ourselves in a place of experiencing 00:02:27.460 --> 00:02:31.039 reconciliation with those that we have been separated 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:35.460 from by sin, it's not just a theological idea. 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:38.259 Reconciliation is a moment of great emotional 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:43.210 cost, and it hits hard. And that's why we can 00:02:43.210 --> 00:02:45.530 find ourselves in tears and weeping and crying 00:02:45.530 --> 00:02:48.270 and feeling all the emotions. You know, I don't 00:02:48.270 --> 00:02:50.389 think any of us would disagree that relationship 00:02:50.389 --> 00:02:54.229 is hard, right? Relationship is hard, period, 00:02:54.310 --> 00:02:57.610 especially when we endeavor to follow God's example 00:02:57.610 --> 00:03:00.629 in relationship. Because God calls us to things 00:03:00.629 --> 00:03:03.729 that are above ourselves. God calls us to means 00:03:03.729 --> 00:03:08.189 and ways that are outside of our normal sense 00:03:08.189 --> 00:03:10.150 of what should and shouldn't be done. And in 00:03:10.150 --> 00:03:13.770 many cases, God calls us to forgive and to extend 00:03:13.770 --> 00:03:16.810 grace and mercy whether we feel like it or not, 00:03:16.930 --> 00:03:19.430 whether our emotions are in alignment. And we 00:03:19.430 --> 00:03:22.110 can't ever forget that forgiveness isn't a feeling. 00:03:22.710 --> 00:03:26.310 Forgiveness is a choice. Now, the feeling may 00:03:26.310 --> 00:03:30.539 come. But forgiveness is a choice before it is 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:32.740 an emotion, and that is really the story of the 00:03:32.740 --> 00:03:36.039 gospel of Jesus Christ, what God did for us, 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:39.879 that long before there was any sense of us saying, 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:42.539 we're sorry, and da -da -da -da -da, long before 00:03:42.539 --> 00:03:45.379 any of that, God said, I'm going to choose to 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:48.810 forgive my people. and then put a plan into place 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:51.830 that that would come to fruition. And so this 00:03:51.830 --> 00:03:53.449 story that we're going to be looking at today 00:03:53.449 --> 00:03:56.889 in Genesis 45 really is a picture of reconciliation 00:03:56.889 --> 00:04:00.229 and how that works, how God wants to reconcile 00:04:00.229 --> 00:04:02.990 with us, and how God wants us to reconcile with 00:04:02.990 --> 00:04:04.870 each other. But before we get into all that, 00:04:04.930 --> 00:04:06.949 we want to spend some time in worship and praising 00:04:06.949 --> 00:04:10.250 God. And so I hope that today would be an opportunity 00:04:10.250 --> 00:04:12.409 this morning, whether you're here or at home, 00:04:12.530 --> 00:04:18.089 to set aside everything. to set aside worries, 00:04:18.250 --> 00:04:23.990 to set aside traumas and hurts, and to really 00:04:23.990 --> 00:04:27.329 take a moment right now to remember that God 00:04:27.329 --> 00:04:30.829 did the work to reconcile with you and with us. 00:04:32.009 --> 00:04:34.629 And we want to celebrate that in praising his 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:37.550 holy name. Amen? Let's pray. God, we love you. 00:04:38.310 --> 00:04:40.430 And Lord, we thank you, God, for who you are 00:04:40.430 --> 00:04:44.769 and what you've done. God, we know it's because 00:04:44.769 --> 00:04:48.009 of the reconciliation that you wrought with us, 00:04:48.089 --> 00:04:50.110 Lord, that we have the opportunity to come together 00:04:50.110 --> 00:04:52.910 as your body. We have the opportunity to come 00:04:52.910 --> 00:04:55.209 to your word, to fellowship together, to hear 00:04:55.209 --> 00:04:58.110 from you and to let your spirit minister to us, 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:01.089 Lord. God, it is in those things that we find 00:05:01.089 --> 00:05:06.769 peace and we find comfort. Lord, it's from you 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:11.310 that we ultimately find hope and truth and even 00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:14.910 joy, Lord. Because God, your word is truth. You 00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:19.149 are truth. Jesus, you said that you were the 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.110 way, the truth, and the life. And so God, I pray, 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:22.829 Lord, that you would minister to us this morning, 00:05:22.850 --> 00:05:25.490 speak to us this morning. God, especially those 00:05:25.490 --> 00:05:28.129 of us that might have broken relationships in 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:31.069 some degree. Lord, that whether we're on the 00:05:31.069 --> 00:05:33.009 side of the equation where we're the one who's 00:05:33.009 --> 00:05:35.069 done wrong, or we're on the other side where 00:05:35.069 --> 00:05:38.040 we're the one who has been wronged, Lord. that 00:05:38.040 --> 00:05:40.600 we would learn what your desire is, that unity 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:43.639 and peace and wholeness would come into our lives 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:45.740 and our relationships. But Lord, even above that, 00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:48.319 God, as we see this story this morning, that 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.699 you would speak to those in this room or watching 00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:55.319 online, Lord, that don't yet know you, that have 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:57.860 not yet been reconciled to you, God, that you 00:05:57.860 --> 00:06:00.579 would see the great heart, the love, and the 00:06:00.579 --> 00:06:06.319 desire you have to restore, to heal, to forgive, 00:06:07.470 --> 00:06:10.750 and then to bless beyond understanding, Lord, 00:06:10.870 --> 00:06:14.709 those that would just come to trust you, to understand 00:06:14.709 --> 00:06:17.069 that they are guilty before you, and yet, God, 00:06:17.189 --> 00:06:20.449 you're not waiting to destroy us, but you're 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:23.370 just waiting to forgive us. And so, Lord, bless 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:26.589 us today. Speak to us today. We love you so much. 00:06:26.589 --> 00:06:29.639 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. All right, 00:06:29.819 --> 00:06:34.160 we are in Genesis 45, and as we go through this 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.180 section, you know, the passages that we're looking 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:40.379 at, verses 1 through 15, are going to answer 00:06:40.379 --> 00:06:42.860 some deep questions that maybe have been developing 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:45.639 as we've been moving through Genesis. Questions 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:48.079 like, how is God going to preserve his people? 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:50.680 But the bigger question I think is answered in 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:53.920 this passage today for us is, can God truly heal 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.449 what has been broken? And the answer, of course, 00:06:57.490 --> 00:06:59.790 is yes. And we're going to see a beautiful picture 00:06:59.790 --> 00:07:03.139 of this because... Joseph, the man we've been 00:07:03.139 --> 00:07:06.680 studying, he's now 37 years old. He was 17 years 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:08.860 old when his brothers sold him into slavery. 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:11.879 And so it's been 22 years of him going through 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:14.019 all the things that he's gone through as he was 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:16.740 sold into Potiphar's house and then falsely accused 00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:19.939 and ended up in prison and then interpreted the 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:22.019 dreams for the cupbearer and said, please remember 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:24.120 me. And then he was forgotten for two more years 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:26.699 and all the stuff that has taken place that has 00:07:26.699 --> 00:07:28.959 ultimately led to Joseph now being number two 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:32.480 in the entire kingdom. having dreams from the 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:34.220 Lord about the famine and what is going to take 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:36.220 place, interpreting those dreams for Pharaoh. 00:07:36.300 --> 00:07:40.060 He has put into place a food storage program 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:44.420 that is really keeping everybody alive. is what 00:07:44.420 --> 00:07:47.319 has brought his family to him as the famine that 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.600 was across all the land had affected his brothers 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:52.519 and everybody in the land of Canaan. And they 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:54.620 had shown up where Joseph was like, oh my gosh, 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:56.519 these are my brothers. You know, it's been a 00:07:56.519 --> 00:07:58.800 long time since I saw these guys. And this whole 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.680 process of God working through Joseph to bring 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:03.779 their sin to light so they would finally face 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:07.360 their sin and deal with it has led to this moment. 00:08:08.199 --> 00:08:11.519 This moment where he has kind of been testing 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:13.740 his brothers to see if their hearts have changed, 00:08:13.899 --> 00:08:15.680 to see if they're different people, to see if 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.920 they recognize the wrong that they have done. 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.540 And in the previous chapter, that chapter ended 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:25.439 with Joseph watching his brother Judah. say we 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:28.920 are sinners, we're wrong, we deserve punishment, 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:32.039 right? And yet he said, look, don't punish my 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.799 brothers. Let my little brother Benjamin go home. 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:38.399 I will stand in his place. I will give up my 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.169 freedom and my life and my future. Because we 00:08:42.169 --> 00:08:44.769 have done wrong and I deserve that is what he 00:08:44.769 --> 00:08:47.990 was getting at. And that final act of sacrificial 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:50.710 love really just kind of breaks Joseph's heart. 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:52.990 Brings him to the place where it's like it is 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:56.129 time to reveal who he is because reconciliation 00:08:56.129 --> 00:08:59.230 can now happen. And so in verse 1 of chapter 00:08:59.230 --> 00:09:02.370 45, we read that Joseph could no longer keep 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:05.029 his composure in front of all his attendants. 00:09:05.029 --> 00:09:07.970 And so he called out, send everyone away from 00:09:07.970 --> 00:09:12.179 me. This moment where Joseph is finally going, 00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:15.379 reconciliation can happen. It's right here. It's 00:09:15.379 --> 00:09:18.379 about to take place. It breaks his heart. He 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:20.279 had been separated from his family for such a 00:09:20.279 --> 00:09:22.240 long time, and he's now overwhelmed with the 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.700 emotion that they're different. They're not the 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:27.179 bloodthirsty, selfish brothers they once were. 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:30.179 They're different people. And the division that 00:09:30.179 --> 00:09:32.519 had been between them, he's finally like, I can't 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:35.240 stand it anymore. I'm just overcome with this 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:37.980 emotion. And I believe it was because Joseph 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:40.879 wanted to forgive his brothers. He wanted to 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:44.840 reconcile with them. He wanted a reunion, a reconnection. 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:47.620 He wanted fellowship again, and again, the time 00:09:47.620 --> 00:09:50.539 was come where it was time to do that, and so 00:09:50.539 --> 00:09:53.139 the emotion just overflows out of him, and it 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:55.159 says, no one was with him when he revealed his 00:09:55.159 --> 00:09:57.899 identity to his brothers, but he wept so loudly 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.799 that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh's 00:10:00.799 --> 00:10:04.509 household heard it. If you remember in a prior 00:10:04.509 --> 00:10:06.350 meeting between him and his brothers, when he 00:10:06.350 --> 00:10:08.590 recognized that these were indeed his brothers, 00:10:08.789 --> 00:10:11.429 he left and went into another room privately 00:10:11.429 --> 00:10:14.009 to cry because he was just overwhelmed. That's 00:10:14.009 --> 00:10:17.409 my family. I haven't seen them in so long. But 00:10:17.409 --> 00:10:19.389 this time, when he's overwhelmed with emotion, 00:10:19.629 --> 00:10:23.169 he sends everybody out of the room. All his attendants, 00:10:23.169 --> 00:10:27.090 all the people, and it's just him and his brothers. 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:29.330 Now, I don't believe he did this for privacy 00:10:29.330 --> 00:10:34.379 sake alone. I believe it's because forgiveness, 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:38.700 true forgiveness, refuses to make a show out 00:10:38.700 --> 00:10:42.120 of it, right? True forgiveness is about you and 00:10:42.120 --> 00:10:45.220 the person you're forgiving. It's not about everybody 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:47.519 else saying, look how forgiving I am, look at 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.740 what's going on here. It's a private thing, and 00:10:50.740 --> 00:10:53.080 this forgiveness that Joseph is about to extend 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.379 out to his brothers, it's very, very personal. 00:10:56.809 --> 00:10:59.350 As part of this forgiveness and this reconciliation, 00:10:59.470 --> 00:11:01.769 we're going to see that Joseph names their sin, 00:11:01.909 --> 00:11:05.610 and he's refusing to name their sin publicly, 00:11:05.950 --> 00:11:09.129 right? That should remind us of what Jesus said 00:11:09.129 --> 00:11:10.929 in the Gospels. He says, when your brother has 00:11:10.929 --> 00:11:14.490 sinned against you, go to him privately and say, 00:11:14.529 --> 00:11:18.870 you did this to me. This was wrong. But I want 00:11:18.870 --> 00:11:21.169 to forgive you, right? I want reconciliation 00:11:21.169 --> 00:11:25.750 here. It's only after somebody refuses to acknowledge 00:11:25.750 --> 00:11:27.669 what they've done in that case where then the 00:11:27.669 --> 00:11:30.629 scripture says you bring some witnesses and then 00:11:30.629 --> 00:11:33.830 you go to the church. But so often, so many of 00:11:33.830 --> 00:11:36.350 us, when it comes to reconciliation with friends 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:39.450 or brothers or family or whatever, we want to 00:11:39.450 --> 00:11:41.590 flip it. We want to start the opposite way, right? 00:11:41.669 --> 00:11:43.909 We want to tell everybody else about what they've 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:48.139 done to us first. before we even go to them privately 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:53.899 and say, hey, this hurt me. This was wrong. I 00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:58.779 forgive you, but I want reconciliation here. 00:11:59.340 --> 00:12:01.720 Instead of that private moment, we want everybody 00:12:01.720 --> 00:12:05.039 else in the world to know. Privately approaching 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:06.759 your brother or sister who has sinned against 00:12:06.759 --> 00:12:09.500 you is not posting on social media about it. 00:12:11.240 --> 00:12:13.720 It's not gossiping about it with everybody else 00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:18.500 except the person. Forgiveness is intended to 00:12:18.500 --> 00:12:21.399 start with this personal, private moment, and 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:24.419 that's the biblical pattern. The Bible tells 00:12:24.419 --> 00:12:27.139 us that love covers a multitude of sins. You 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:29.419 guys know that? You guys know what that word 00:12:29.419 --> 00:12:34.759 multitude means? All of it. You guys remember 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:36.779 the story when the angels showed up to the shepherds 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:39.700 during Christmas? And it says a multitude of 00:12:39.700 --> 00:12:42.159 angels were in the sky praising the Lord. That 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:43.700 word multitude there, it's the same word. It 00:12:43.700 --> 00:12:46.870 means all of them. Can you imagine what those 00:12:46.870 --> 00:12:50.149 shepherds experienced that morning? That all 00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:53.029 of the angels filled the sky, horizon to horizon, 00:12:53.169 --> 00:12:56.470 praising the Lord at the birth of Jesus? Well, 00:12:56.509 --> 00:12:58.549 when the Bible says love covers a multitude of 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:02.230 sins, it's saying all of them. It covers them. 00:13:02.730 --> 00:13:06.970 Love is like, okay, these things are done. You're 00:13:06.970 --> 00:13:10.730 willing to forgive. So his tears here, when he's 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:13.889 weeping so loud that the Pharaoh's palace next 00:13:13.889 --> 00:13:16.610 door could hear him weeping. This isn't necessarily 00:13:16.610 --> 00:13:20.070 tears of sadness. This is tears of joy. This 00:13:20.070 --> 00:13:22.750 is tears of we're at the moment where reconciliation 00:13:22.750 --> 00:13:27.529 can happen. There was such a desire to be reconnected. 00:13:27.590 --> 00:13:30.250 There was such a desire on Joseph's part to forgive 00:13:30.250 --> 00:13:33.990 the sin, to extend grace and mercy that as the 00:13:33.990 --> 00:13:36.669 moment is now here, he's overwhelmed with joy. 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:40.190 It reminds me of the scripture that says when 00:13:40.190 --> 00:13:44.879 one person gets saved, The entirety of heaven 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:49.480 erupts in celebration. Isn't that beautiful? 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:55.539 You know, and so he's here. He's not being weak. 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:57.879 You know, this isn't him like, I mean, it's just 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:01.600 an honesty from him that this moment has arrived 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:04.100 and he is just overwhelmed with it. And so in 00:14:04.100 --> 00:14:07.139 verse three, you know, the words fall like thunder. 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:11.940 Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Now, 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:14.399 Earlier it just told us he sent out all the people, 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:18.139 all his attendants. That included the interpreters 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:19.860 because we had read earlier that he had been 00:14:19.860 --> 00:14:21.700 speaking to his brothers through an interpreter, 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.360 which means he was speaking to them in Egyptian. 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:28.080 But he sent everybody out. It's only him and 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:30.720 his brothers. So what does that tell us about 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:33.960 him saying, I am Joseph? He says it in Hebrew. 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:38.179 He says it in the native language. He says it 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:40.919 in the language that is just so familiar to them, 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:44.000 and then for them, suddenly, oh my goodness, 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:48.779 our sin is standing right in front of us, speaking 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:54.480 to us. Joseph says, is my father still living? 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:56.340 But they cannot answer him because they were 00:14:56.340 --> 00:14:59.899 terrified in his presence. That word terrified, 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:01.919 it means paralyzed with fear. Have you ever been 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:05.679 paralyzed with fear? I have been. As a kid, I 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.620 was terrified of spiders. If I saw a spider, 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:13.299 I couldn't move. It was going to eat me, right? 00:15:14.679 --> 00:15:17.500 Now I'm better. I freeze momentarily, and then 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:21.659 I can deal with the spider. But paralyzed with 00:15:21.659 --> 00:15:25.000 fear. Their sin has a voice. Their judgment seems 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:27.240 inevitable. Can you imagine, right? This is the 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.879 number two. This is the second most powerful 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:32.240 man in Egypt. This is the guy who said, do not 00:15:32.240 --> 00:15:34.500 come back without Benjamin. And then they got 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:36.539 caught with the cup. And now they're like, oh, 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:39.759 what are we doing? We're sinners. And this is 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.899 the guy who can execute us. This is the guy who 00:15:41.899 --> 00:15:45.899 with a word can have our lives ended. Then he 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:53.629 says, I'm Joseph. What do you mean, Joseph? All 00:15:53.629 --> 00:15:56.149 of the memory of their sin that God had been 00:15:56.149 --> 00:15:58.429 stirring up in them through these last few chapters, 00:15:58.610 --> 00:16:01.269 it shocked them into silence. It paralyzed them 00:16:01.269 --> 00:16:06.090 with fear. Fear was, we realize that we now deserve 00:16:06.090 --> 00:16:08.669 to be judged for what we have done, and oh my 00:16:08.669 --> 00:16:11.529 gosh, judgment has never been more real than 00:16:11.529 --> 00:16:15.710 it is right now. This guy can just, with a hand, 00:16:15.809 --> 00:16:17.950 kill us, and so they're undone with shock in 00:16:17.950 --> 00:16:21.090 the reality. When we stand before the authority 00:16:21.090 --> 00:16:24.470 that has the authority to judge us righteously 00:16:24.470 --> 00:16:28.929 for our sin, the right response is to be paralyzed 00:16:28.929 --> 00:16:33.990 with fear, to be shocked into silence. Spiritually, 00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:35.850 when we stand before the Lord and we recognize 00:16:35.850 --> 00:16:37.750 he is God, he is the creator of the universe, 00:16:38.049 --> 00:16:40.269 he is the one that has established all morality 00:16:40.269 --> 00:16:42.070 right and wrong, and we come to the place of 00:16:42.070 --> 00:16:47.409 realizing we've broken his law. And he's God. 00:16:48.990 --> 00:16:51.269 There's no place for justification. There's no 00:16:51.269 --> 00:16:54.590 place for excuses. There's no place for, yeah, 00:16:54.649 --> 00:16:59.429 but, well, it's just, right? That's how it should 00:16:59.429 --> 00:17:04.509 be when we stand before God. Now, Joseph then 00:17:04.509 --> 00:17:08.309 says to his brothers, and this is something that 00:17:08.309 --> 00:17:13.210 wounded people don't usually say, please come 00:17:13.210 --> 00:17:18.119 near me. And they came near. Usually when we're 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:20.420 finally at the point of confronting those who 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:25.920 have wronged us, we want to jump right to stay 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:27.720 away from me. I hate you. I don't trust you. 00:17:27.779 --> 00:17:29.519 You're mean. You've hurt me. You've done wrong. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.660 We want to accuse. We want to blame. Because 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:36.140 we feel this need to have some type of vindication 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:38.599 that you have to acknowledge the hurt that's 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:41.660 in my life before we can even move to forgiveness 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:46.250 or grace or mercy. And it's just a picture that 00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:48.970 God created us with a sense of justice. We get 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:53.730 it. We understand that we've been wronged. That 00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:56.569 needs to be made right. It's just a part of our 00:17:56.569 --> 00:18:00.569 nature. The problem is we only apply that truth 00:18:00.569 --> 00:18:03.410 when it's other people who have wronged us, not 00:18:03.410 --> 00:18:05.190 when we have wronged someone else necessarily. 00:18:07.589 --> 00:18:11.029 And so he says, come near to me. The phrase come 00:18:11.029 --> 00:18:17.180 near to me means is indicating come close. Look 00:18:17.180 --> 00:18:21.960 me in the eye. Stand before me in honesty. That's 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:26.019 the idea of this phrase. You see, forgiveness 00:18:26.019 --> 00:18:29.859 is not a denial that wrong has happened. Forgiveness 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:33.779 is a refusal to be ruled by the wrong that has 00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:38.750 happened. Reconciliation begins, true reconciliation 00:18:38.750 --> 00:18:42.269 begins when repentance is then met by grace. 00:18:43.529 --> 00:18:45.690 They didn't deserve to come close to Joseph. 00:18:45.690 --> 00:18:47.549 They deserved to be cast out and killed, but 00:18:47.549 --> 00:18:52.109 he says, come near. Come close to me. They've 00:18:52.109 --> 00:18:54.430 confessed their sin, and then he says, I'm the 00:18:54.430 --> 00:18:57.930 one you sold into slavery. Oh my gosh. Come close. 00:18:57.970 --> 00:19:01.789 Look me in the eye. Stand face to face with me. 00:19:03.589 --> 00:19:08.829 See, sometimes we think that forgiving somebody 00:19:08.829 --> 00:19:11.349 means we have to pretend the wrong didn't happen. 00:19:12.210 --> 00:19:17.009 We have to minimize the wrong. Well, if I forgive 00:19:17.009 --> 00:19:18.750 them, then that means what they did to me isn't 00:19:18.750 --> 00:19:22.410 as bad as it is or it hurts as much as it does, 00:19:22.450 --> 00:19:27.509 and that's not what forgiveness is at all. Forgiveness 00:19:27.509 --> 00:19:30.309 doesn't mean pretend wrong didn't happen. It 00:19:30.309 --> 00:19:32.190 just says I'm going to make a choice in spite 00:19:32.190 --> 00:19:37.349 of the wrong. Now, God's sovereignty, it doesn't 00:19:37.349 --> 00:19:41.130 excuse human sin, right? The fact that God saves 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:43.329 us doesn't mean our sin didn't matter. It doesn't 00:19:43.329 --> 00:19:45.049 mean our sin didn't have a cost. It doesn't mean 00:19:45.049 --> 00:19:50.109 our sin didn't hurt. God's sovereignty just simply 00:19:50.109 --> 00:19:52.410 means that he chose to redeem the consequences 00:19:52.410 --> 00:19:57.630 of our sins despite our sin. That he said, yes, 00:19:57.650 --> 00:20:00.210 it hurt. It had a great cost. His son had to 00:20:00.210 --> 00:20:04.130 die on the cross for sin. But then God said on 00:20:04.130 --> 00:20:07.289 the other side of that, there was a choice I 00:20:07.289 --> 00:20:09.609 made to extend forgiveness and grace and mercy 00:20:09.609 --> 00:20:13.529 and reconcile. And this is what we see Joseph 00:20:13.529 --> 00:20:19.049 doing here. As he says, come near. Grace doesn't 00:20:19.049 --> 00:20:21.769 just say, okay, I absolve you of what you've 00:20:21.769 --> 00:20:26.369 done. Grace says, come close. I want you to know 00:20:26.369 --> 00:20:30.809 we're okay. I want you to know we're good. You 00:20:30.809 --> 00:20:33.930 see, when we truly forgive somebody, the idea 00:20:33.930 --> 00:20:37.630 is that we release them of responsibility for 00:20:37.630 --> 00:20:41.269 the hurt they've caused us. Forgiveness is I 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:47.329 no longer hold this against you. Some of us would 00:20:47.329 --> 00:20:49.329 be like, oh, I forgive you, but I still hope 00:20:49.329 --> 00:20:52.470 you get hit by a truck or something, right? And 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:54.990 we're like, no. Forgiveness is I forgive you, 00:20:55.029 --> 00:20:56.910 but I still hope something bad happens to you. 00:20:56.970 --> 00:21:01.450 And it's no. Forgiveness is I no longer hold 00:21:01.450 --> 00:21:05.170 the wrong you did to me against you. So therefore, 00:21:05.349 --> 00:21:09.670 I no longer expect recompense. I no longer need 00:21:09.670 --> 00:21:13.890 vengeance. This is what forgiveness is. When 00:21:13.890 --> 00:21:18.390 he says, come near. That's the posture he's extending 00:21:18.390 --> 00:21:22.150 to his brothers. Come near. I want you to know 00:21:22.150 --> 00:21:23.690 we're okay. But look what the first thing he 00:21:23.690 --> 00:21:27.009 says to them after this. He says, I am Joseph, 00:21:27.089 --> 00:21:29.619 your brother, he said. The one you sold into 00:21:29.619 --> 00:21:35.539 Egypt. Possibly taking their stunned silence 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:40.960 as confusion. Right? It's not like he was the 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:45.259 only Joseph in the whole world. Says, come near 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:47.619 to me. Hey, I'm the one you sold into Egypt. 00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:51.859 Again, forgiveness doesn't require denial of 00:21:51.859 --> 00:21:53.859 what happened. And so he names the sin, but then 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:56.299 he goes on to say, and now don't be grieved or 00:21:56.299 --> 00:21:58.579 angry with yourselves for selling me here. because 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.799 God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. For 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:03.859 the famine has been in the land these two years, 00:22:03.940 --> 00:22:05.900 and there will be five more years without plowing 00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:08.980 or harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to establish 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:11.539 you as a remnant within the land and to keep 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:14.259 you alive by a great deliverance. Therefore, 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:16.799 it was not you who sent me here, but God. He 00:22:16.799 --> 00:22:18.920 has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:21.420 entire household, and ruler over the land of 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:25.269 Egypt. That phrase, God has sent me ahead of 00:22:25.269 --> 00:22:27.250 you, that's the theological center of this entire 00:22:27.250 --> 00:22:31.349 chapter. This understanding is the very thing 00:22:31.349 --> 00:22:34.990 that allows Joseph to forgive the way God wants 00:22:34.990 --> 00:22:39.109 us to forgive one another. You see, Joseph is 00:22:39.109 --> 00:22:41.150 holding two truths here. He's not minimizing 00:22:41.150 --> 00:22:46.130 sin. You sold me into Egypt. You did that. It 00:22:46.130 --> 00:22:51.509 was wrong. It wasn't right. However, God is the 00:22:51.509 --> 00:22:53.880 one. who allowed all that and worked through 00:22:53.880 --> 00:22:56.099 all that to send me ahead of you so that I could 00:22:56.099 --> 00:23:00.500 be here now today to save your life. Now, he 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:03.039 repeats this phrase four times in verse 5, 7, 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:07.099 8, and 9. Again, he's not minimizing the evil 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:08.819 and the wickedness of what they've done, but 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:11.519 he's saying, look, you did something bad, but 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:13.519 I want you to understand that in the grace of 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:18.539 God, God's providence, God's sovereignty used 00:23:18.539 --> 00:23:23.569 it and worked it out for good. He's expressing 00:23:23.569 --> 00:23:27.609 faith. He's expressing faith even in the suffering 00:23:27.609 --> 00:23:30.369 and the wrong and the sin. And that attitude 00:23:30.369 --> 00:23:33.369 is what allows us to forgive somebody. To say 00:23:33.369 --> 00:23:36.130 they did this great wrong to me and I don't understand 00:23:36.130 --> 00:23:39.349 and it happened and it hurt and it did but I 00:23:39.349 --> 00:23:42.150 believe my God is sovereign. I believe my God 00:23:42.150 --> 00:23:45.309 knew. I believe and if it happened he allowed 00:23:45.309 --> 00:23:49.589 it and so I have to believe that there was a 00:23:49.589 --> 00:23:54.559 purpose. That there is a reason. And when the 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:56.579 Bible says that God works all things out for 00:23:56.579 --> 00:24:03.180 good, that means even this thing. And that attitude, 00:24:03.279 --> 00:24:05.660 the choice to believe that is what allows Joseph 00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:08.240 to come to the place of saying, I'm not gonna 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:10.579 hold you responsible anymore. I'm not gonna hold 00:24:10.579 --> 00:24:14.200 it against you. That I'm gonna forgive you and 00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:17.799 let it go. And forgiveness really is only possible 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:22.069 when we bring God into the story. True forgiveness 00:24:22.069 --> 00:24:24.589 is really only possible. You know, God being 00:24:24.589 --> 00:24:29.130 above and aware and allowing all things. Him 00:24:29.130 --> 00:24:31.269 knowing everything that'll happen because he's 00:24:31.269 --> 00:24:35.829 outside of time and then working through it doesn't 00:24:35.829 --> 00:24:41.349 mean he's excusing sin. Joseph here doesn't want 00:24:41.349 --> 00:24:43.390 revenge for what they've done because Joseph 00:24:43.390 --> 00:24:46.789 has already been set free. He's been set free 00:24:46.789 --> 00:24:50.049 of the bitterness. He's been set free of holding 00:24:50.049 --> 00:24:53.009 it against them. He's been set free of all of 00:24:53.009 --> 00:24:55.190 that. And we've read early in the story where 00:24:55.190 --> 00:24:58.170 he just, okay, he moved on with his life and 00:24:58.170 --> 00:25:01.309 said, God, whatever happened, happened, and I'm 00:25:01.309 --> 00:25:05.829 just going to trust you with that. And really, 00:25:05.910 --> 00:25:09.670 those who see God clearly in every circumstance, 00:25:10.069 --> 00:25:14.490 no matter if it's good or bad, they're set free 00:25:14.490 --> 00:25:17.250 from the need for revenge. Somebody does something 00:25:17.250 --> 00:25:20.289 terrible to you and our natural reaction is revenge, 00:25:20.509 --> 00:25:22.730 right? I want to get you back. You deserve to 00:25:22.730 --> 00:25:27.829 pay for it. But when we as God's people go, that 00:25:27.829 --> 00:25:32.269 was wrong. But God allowed it to happen in my 00:25:32.269 --> 00:25:36.250 life, so God, what are you doing? It frees us 00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:40.230 from that need to get them back. Because we're 00:25:40.230 --> 00:25:43.470 able to say it wasn't, it's not all about what 00:25:43.470 --> 00:25:45.990 they did, it's about what God is doing. and allowing 00:25:45.990 --> 00:25:50.029 through it. Now, I believe genuine forgiveness 00:25:50.029 --> 00:25:54.569 has a telltale sign. I believe genuine forgiveness 00:25:54.569 --> 00:25:58.630 is seen in someone who genuinely wants to set 00:25:58.630 --> 00:26:03.529 the offender at ease. You've wronged me, but 00:26:03.529 --> 00:26:05.589 my greatest priority is that you know we're okay. 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:10.220 That you're not expecting me to drop the hammer 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:12.460 and to curse you and to do these bad things. 00:26:12.519 --> 00:26:14.420 That you realize, yeah, you did some things, 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:17.180 but my greatest desire is not that you know you 00:26:17.180 --> 00:26:19.440 wronged me, that you feel as bad as I do, that 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:22.519 you hurt like I hurt, but that you recognize 00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:29.460 we're good. Be at ease. Be at rest. That's genuine 00:26:29.460 --> 00:26:33.279 forgiveness. And so Joseph's saying to them, 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.640 come near me and look me in the eye. I'm not 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:38.640 angry. Really what that is is agape love, love 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:43.160 without condition. Love that says I'm choosing 00:26:43.160 --> 00:26:44.940 to love you, I'm choosing to forgive you, and 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:46.539 it's not because of what you did or didn't do. 00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:51.740 That's the love that God has for us, right? You're 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:55.440 a sinner. I died for you. We didn't deserve that. 00:26:58.700 --> 00:27:01.180 But he did that so that when we come to the place 00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:03.700 of finally admitting our sin and recognizing 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.740 that, then he could take that next step and go, 00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:09.880 okay, now let me offer full reconciliation. It's 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:14.339 beautiful. Joseph shows us very clearly the difference 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:17.000 between justice, mercy, and grace, right? You've 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:20.980 heard me say this before, that mercy is not getting 00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:25.809 what you deserve, right? As guilty sinners, we 00:27:25.809 --> 00:27:28.190 deserve judgment and punishment, and we did not 00:27:28.190 --> 00:27:32.230 get judgment and punishment. Grace is getting 00:27:32.230 --> 00:27:37.809 what you don't deserve. We definitely don't deserve 00:27:37.809 --> 00:27:40.730 salvation and then blessing and this life with 00:27:40.730 --> 00:27:42.930 the Lord in heaven. We don't deserve that, but 00:27:42.930 --> 00:27:46.670 that's what we get. Justice, however, is getting 00:27:46.670 --> 00:27:51.730 what you deserve. Justice, bad guy does a bad 00:27:51.730 --> 00:27:53.529 thing, he breaks the law, he gets punished, right? 00:27:53.569 --> 00:27:56.509 That's justice, and Joseph could have chosen 00:27:56.509 --> 00:27:58.690 justice here and would have been absolutely right 00:27:58.690 --> 00:28:02.630 in doing it. He could have stopped at mercy when 00:28:02.630 --> 00:28:04.490 he said, okay, come in, let's have a dinner and 00:28:04.490 --> 00:28:06.829 everything, and they're like, why are we being 00:28:06.829 --> 00:28:09.049 treated so nice here? We don't deserve this. 00:28:09.250 --> 00:28:11.190 And then he could have said, okay, get out of 00:28:11.190 --> 00:28:15.809 here, go home. But then, instead of stopping 00:28:15.809 --> 00:28:17.670 there, he's going to move on to choose grace. 00:28:18.769 --> 00:28:21.029 He's going to demonstrate the fact that come 00:28:21.029 --> 00:28:23.349 near, we're okay. I want you to know you're at 00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:25.630 ease. And he's going to demonstrate that by now 00:28:25.630 --> 00:28:27.910 giving them what they don't deserve. Look at 00:28:27.910 --> 00:28:30.710 verse 9. Return quickly to my father and say 00:28:30.710 --> 00:28:34.450 to him, this is what your son Joseph says. God 00:28:34.450 --> 00:28:36.789 has made me Lord of all Egypt. Come down to me 00:28:36.789 --> 00:28:39.730 without delay. You can settle in the land of 00:28:39.730 --> 00:28:42.230 Goshen and be near me. You, your children, your 00:28:42.230 --> 00:28:45.029 grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all 00:28:45.029 --> 00:28:48.400 that you have. There I will sustain you, for 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:51.759 there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:53.660 you, your household, and everything you have 00:28:53.660 --> 00:28:57.299 will become destitute. Look, your eyes and the 00:28:57.299 --> 00:28:59.559 eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I'm 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:03.319 the one speaking to you. Let my father, or tell 00:29:03.319 --> 00:29:05.220 my father about all my glory in Egypt and about 00:29:05.220 --> 00:29:08.180 all you have seen, and bring my father here quickly. 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:15.000 Justice. You guys sinned against me. You deserve 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:20.029 to be held accountable. Mercy. Let's come have 00:29:20.029 --> 00:29:21.829 a party and a big dinner. And they're going, 00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:25.930 we don't, what? Then in the morning, everything's 00:29:25.930 --> 00:29:27.690 good. Wow, everything was great. We go home, 00:29:27.710 --> 00:29:30.410 and then they're found with the cup. They come 00:29:30.410 --> 00:29:32.809 back. Judah finally goes, this is God's doing. 00:29:34.009 --> 00:29:36.069 This isn't about the cup. This is about the fact 00:29:36.069 --> 00:29:38.089 that we're guilty. We're sinners. We've been 00:29:38.089 --> 00:29:41.670 hiding it for 22 years. We know. And just stop. 00:29:41.750 --> 00:29:43.869 Let's stop hiding it. We deserve punishment. 00:29:44.730 --> 00:29:47.089 And then Judah does the sacrificial thing and 00:29:47.089 --> 00:29:49.210 says, and I know we all deserve punishment, but 00:29:49.210 --> 00:29:52.349 let me stand in their place. Take me instead 00:29:52.349 --> 00:29:54.349 of Benjamin and let Benjamin and the rest of 00:29:54.349 --> 00:29:59.329 my brothers go home. And then what happens as 00:29:59.329 --> 00:30:04.809 a part of that? Forgiveness. Come near, we're 00:30:04.809 --> 00:30:08.660 good. And now grace, let me demonstrate to you 00:30:08.660 --> 00:30:11.160 that we're good. I'm going to bless you and bless 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:15.319 you and do more and take care of you. Don't just 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:17.319 go home with more grain. Go get the family, come 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:18.900 back, and we're going to put you in Goshen, the 00:30:18.900 --> 00:30:23.259 most fertile part of the land of Egypt. So fertile, 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:25.819 it's perfect for shepherds, and Egypt hated shepherds, 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:27.359 but the number two in the land said they could 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:28.759 live there, so we have to deal with it, right? 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:31.220 Come, let me take care of you. Let me provide 00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:37.319 for you. Let me bless you. We deserve to be held 00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:42.819 accountable for our sin, and yet we weren't, 00:30:42.819 --> 00:30:47.099 and then on top of that, we get all this blessing. 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:56.819 Do you see the pattern of Jesus Christ? Forgiveness 00:30:56.819 --> 00:31:00.519 isn't just sentimental, it's practical. Forgiveness 00:31:00.519 --> 00:31:04.319 says, we're good, we're okay, I want you to know 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:08.579 that. And now let's move forward. It's not just 00:31:08.579 --> 00:31:11.240 reunion. Yay, glad to see you. Okay, have a nice 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:17.700 life. It's reconciliation. It's that moment to 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:20.460 say, no, now I want to demonstrate to you that 00:31:20.460 --> 00:31:22.140 we're okay. I want to demonstrate to you that 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:23.680 I've forgiven you. I want you to know beyond 00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:26.039 a shadow of a doubt. And so here's blessing. 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:32.940 He says, I will sustain you there. Just come. 00:31:33.779 --> 00:31:36.339 Live under my care. Receive what I have for you. 00:31:36.359 --> 00:31:41.180 See, grace doesn't end with forgiveness. It starts 00:31:41.180 --> 00:31:46.940 at forgiveness. Joseph doesn't just reconcile 00:31:46.940 --> 00:31:53.420 the past. He reorders the future. Future A. Okay, 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:54.779 great. You guys aren't going to be killed for 00:31:54.779 --> 00:31:56.779 the sin you did. Go back home. They die anyways. 00:31:56.980 --> 00:32:02.119 Famine. Future B. Joseph says, not only do I 00:32:02.119 --> 00:32:03.740 want to forgive you, but I want to extend this 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:05.880 grace to you. Come. And then they're protected. 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:09.859 They thrive. They grow. And they become the nation 00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:12.680 that God is intending them to become. This is 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:15.839 the biblical pattern. God doesn't just balance 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:19.579 the books. Okay, sin's wiped out. Right? We talk 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:22.079 about this in communion when we recognize the 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:26.359 body that Jesus gave. That was mercy. That was 00:32:26.359 --> 00:32:28.420 saying, that's what we deserved. He took it in 00:32:28.420 --> 00:32:30.299 our place. We remember that. Oh my gosh, thank 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:33.599 you so much, Lord. But then he goes beyond to 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:35.559 the grace and he says, not only am I not holding 00:32:35.559 --> 00:32:37.799 you accountable, but now I'm going to wash you 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:39.980 clean and bless you for the rest of your life. 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:41.920 You're going to walk with me. My spirit's going 00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:44.039 to indwell you. And then one day, guess what? 00:32:44.180 --> 00:32:46.599 The big prize. You're in heaven with me forever 00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:56.089 in joy and peace eternally. God wipes out our 00:32:56.089 --> 00:32:59.609 sin debt and then says, let me take care of you. 00:33:00.630 --> 00:33:03.549 Walk with me. Trust me. It doesn't mean we don't 00:33:03.549 --> 00:33:06.049 go through difficult things. It doesn't mean 00:33:06.049 --> 00:33:08.450 our life is perfect after salvation, but it does 00:33:08.450 --> 00:33:12.289 mean that we walk with hope. It does mean that 00:33:12.289 --> 00:33:16.750 in the midst of tragedy, we can have peace and 00:33:16.750 --> 00:33:21.750 we can have joy. And you go, joy? Yeah, I'm not 00:33:21.750 --> 00:33:25.359 talking about happiness. In the midst of tragedy, 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:30.240 there can be a joy. And knowing that this isn't 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:33.940 everything. This isn't the end. That there's 00:33:33.940 --> 00:33:37.940 a life after this. That there is a truth in God's 00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:43.059 word. There is something coming after. Verse 00:33:43.059 --> 00:33:45.200 14, it says, Then Joseph threw his arms around 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:48.380 his brother Benjamin and wept. And Benjamin wept 00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:51.039 on his shoulder. Joseph kissed each of his brothers 00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:53.519 as he wept, and afterwards his brother talked 00:33:53.519 --> 00:34:04.000 with him. Men, it's okay to cry. It's okay to 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:11.699 hug. Fist bump. Fist bumps are great. But there's 00:34:11.699 --> 00:34:13.659 time where an embrace is necessary, and that's 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:18.480 okay. We see this weeping. We see all this. After 00:34:18.480 --> 00:34:21.280 the theology is spoken, God's the one who allowed 00:34:21.280 --> 00:34:23.420 this and provision is secure. Here's the grace 00:34:23.420 --> 00:34:25.840 and fear of judgment is addressed. Come near. 00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:28.159 Look me in the eye. We're good. Then there's 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:32.179 this physical reconciliation, right? The weeping, 00:34:32.179 --> 00:34:34.500 the kissing, the prolonged contact, all of that. 00:34:34.539 --> 00:34:38.340 You see, time is spent for reunion after reconciliation 00:34:38.340 --> 00:34:44.710 has taken place. It's the same for us. We are 00:34:44.710 --> 00:34:48.210 reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ. 00:34:49.849 --> 00:34:53.809 And then one day, we're going to have that reunion 00:34:53.809 --> 00:34:57.230 where we stand before him face to face, where 00:34:57.230 --> 00:35:02.110 we embrace with tears and joy. Now, we're here 00:35:02.110 --> 00:35:03.909 living this life in the in -between of that. 00:35:05.989 --> 00:35:08.809 Earlier in Genesis 37, it told us that the brothers 00:35:08.809 --> 00:35:11.250 couldn't even bring themselves to speak peaceably. 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:14.039 with Joseph because they were so mad at him, 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:17.260 but now it's words and communication and conversation. 00:35:17.400 --> 00:35:19.739 Why? Because forgiveness reopens communication. 00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:23.880 Some of us have been living in this life where 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:25.400 it's like, I'll forgive them when they say sorry. 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:30.059 How about you forgive them first? And then maybe 00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:31.860 that'll open up communication where they will 00:35:31.860 --> 00:35:39.119 have the place to, I'm so sorry. I'll say sorry 00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:45.639 when they say, Someone has to start. Somebody 00:35:45.639 --> 00:35:48.659 has to take the first step. If you're the Christian, 00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:52.659 it should be you. If you're both Christians, 00:35:52.739 --> 00:35:59.139 it still should be you. In reconciliation, there's 00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:01.800 three parts of it that I see here in this story 00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:04.900 because some of us are simply waiting for the 00:36:04.900 --> 00:36:06.980 relationship to heal and God's saying, yeah, 00:36:07.019 --> 00:36:08.920 and I want you to take the step and you're resisting 00:36:08.920 --> 00:36:11.920 the step. God, please heal this relationship. 00:36:12.179 --> 00:36:15.440 And he's going, sure, get up and move. No, they 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:19.900 need to first. And so reconciliation, it requires 00:36:19.900 --> 00:36:23.760 repentance. If you're in the place of the brothers, 00:36:24.019 --> 00:36:25.860 right, you're the one who has wronged somebody, 00:36:26.119 --> 00:36:31.059 you step first and confess your guilt. You go 00:36:31.059 --> 00:36:33.619 and say, I'm sorry, I've wronged you, I've done 00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:39.760 wrong. And stop thinking, I'll repent what I've 00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:43.360 done when they repent first. No, you be the first. 00:36:45.780 --> 00:36:50.179 Otherwise, reconciliation can't happen. Maybe 00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:52.119 you can't forgive them in your own heart until 00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:53.980 you're the one that's wronged, right? Well, when 00:36:53.980 --> 00:36:56.380 they say sorry. No, you take that step to forgive 00:36:56.380 --> 00:37:01.579 first. Responsibility is the second R of reconciliation 00:37:01.579 --> 00:37:05.400 here, right? Take responsibility for your part. 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:09.019 You're not responsible for their part. But sometimes, 00:37:09.099 --> 00:37:10.940 for some reason, we say, I don't need to take 00:37:10.940 --> 00:37:13.019 responsibility for my part because they're not 00:37:13.019 --> 00:37:16.599 taking responsibility for their part. That's 00:37:16.599 --> 00:37:20.519 dumb. You take responsibility for your part. 00:37:20.619 --> 00:37:26.039 I did or said this. I'm the one who wronged. 00:37:26.039 --> 00:37:28.420 I need to take responsibility for that. Or I'm 00:37:28.420 --> 00:37:31.300 the one who's not forgiving. I need to take responsibility 00:37:31.300 --> 00:37:35.809 for that. And then the results of it, the results 00:37:35.809 --> 00:37:40.369 are God's. I want healing. I want this. I want 00:37:40.369 --> 00:37:42.630 that. Great. Then do what God is telling you 00:37:42.630 --> 00:37:46.590 to do. Take the step of faith to say, okay, God, 00:37:46.730 --> 00:37:48.670 I'm going to step out in forgiveness first, or 00:37:48.670 --> 00:37:53.329 I'm going to step out and confess. I'm worried 00:37:53.329 --> 00:37:55.530 they won't forgive me. It doesn't matter. God 00:37:55.530 --> 00:38:01.090 wants you to do your part. And for those of you 00:38:01.090 --> 00:38:03.409 that may be the one who has wronged somebody 00:38:03.409 --> 00:38:06.010 and you're carrying guilt in your heart, remember, 00:38:06.150 --> 00:38:08.050 Joseph said to his brothers, don't be angry with 00:38:08.050 --> 00:38:13.630 yourselves. For some of us, we walk in this relationship 00:38:13.630 --> 00:38:16.349 where we believe God has forgiven us, but I can't 00:38:16.349 --> 00:38:18.309 forgive myself. And so you're walking in this 00:38:18.309 --> 00:38:24.190 unforgiveness. Joseph said, don't be angry with 00:38:24.190 --> 00:38:30.650 yourselves. God meant this for good. Receive 00:38:30.650 --> 00:38:34.230 forgiveness. Believe you're forgiven. Walk in 00:38:34.230 --> 00:38:36.429 forgiveness. Some of us are struggling with doing 00:38:36.429 --> 00:38:38.289 that. Oh, God has forgiven me, but I can't forgive 00:38:38.289 --> 00:38:39.849 myself, and you're beating yourself up all the 00:38:39.849 --> 00:38:42.929 time. You have been forgiven by the God of the 00:38:42.929 --> 00:38:45.429 universe. If you're a Christian, you've put your 00:38:45.429 --> 00:38:47.630 faith in him. You have been forgiven. God says, 00:38:47.650 --> 00:38:50.690 look me in the eye. Stand before me. We are good. 00:38:51.750 --> 00:38:57.829 Will you start living like it? Guilt can imprison 00:38:57.829 --> 00:39:02.130 us for decades. Paul was a murderer. Did you 00:39:02.130 --> 00:39:05.130 know that? Paul the apostle, the one who is considered 00:39:05.130 --> 00:39:09.570 the apostle of grace, he was a murderer. And 00:39:09.570 --> 00:39:12.030 yet the Bible remembers him as the apostle of 00:39:12.030 --> 00:39:14.510 grace. Why? Because Paul understood something 00:39:14.510 --> 00:39:16.250 that's very true. The cross didn't partially 00:39:16.250 --> 00:39:19.369 forgive you of your sin. It fully forgave you 00:39:19.369 --> 00:39:22.469 of your sin. And it fully forgave you of the 00:39:22.469 --> 00:39:24.849 sin you haven't committed yet. That's the part 00:39:24.849 --> 00:39:29.369 we struggle with. Now, when you do the next sin, 00:39:29.530 --> 00:39:34.829 you go, God, forgive me. He's going, done, because 00:39:34.829 --> 00:39:41.150 I did. And then we move on. If God has released 00:39:41.150 --> 00:39:43.329 you from your sin, why are you still holding 00:39:43.329 --> 00:39:47.329 on to the chains? Why are you doing that? That 00:39:47.329 --> 00:40:00.119 isn't humility. That's unbelief. It's time to 00:40:00.119 --> 00:40:08.659 wake up. I think that's what God is saying. It's 00:40:08.659 --> 00:40:14.820 time to wake up. For those of you that may be 00:40:14.820 --> 00:40:16.539 on the Joseph side and you're nursing bitterness, 00:40:16.880 --> 00:40:19.199 you know, someone has wronged me and you're like, 00:40:19.280 --> 00:40:22.619 I can't forgive them and I can't do it. I don't 00:40:22.619 --> 00:40:24.360 feel like forgiving them. I don't feel like it's 00:40:24.360 --> 00:40:26.539 right. Forgiveness is not a feeling. It's a choice. 00:40:27.659 --> 00:40:31.139 It's a choice you make. Joseph forgave his brothers, 00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.539 I believe, before they even changed. And he was 00:40:33.539 --> 00:40:36.340 just working through what God was doing that 00:40:36.340 --> 00:40:37.880 they would come to the place of saying, I've 00:40:37.880 --> 00:40:42.619 wronged you. Right? Some people go, oh, well, 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:44.840 if God died for my sins, I don't need to repent. 00:40:48.079 --> 00:40:53.360 No, you need to repent. God died for your sins, 00:40:53.400 --> 00:40:56.090 and he says, I'm waiting. I'm waiting for full 00:40:56.090 --> 00:40:58.889 reconciliation. And He does these things in our 00:40:58.889 --> 00:41:00.829 life to bring us to the point where we finally 00:41:00.829 --> 00:41:03.329 say, I have sinned, God. You are right. I am 00:41:03.329 --> 00:41:08.070 wrong. I deserve punishment. Please forgive me. 00:41:09.949 --> 00:41:12.190 And He goes, good, because I did it a long time 00:41:12.190 --> 00:41:15.130 ago and I've just been waiting to give you the 00:41:15.130 --> 00:41:20.269 fruits of that work. Forgive. The feelings will 00:41:20.269 --> 00:41:24.880 follow. Forgive them. Forgiveness is unconditional. 00:41:25.980 --> 00:41:27.900 Reconciliation, yeah, that's a relational thing 00:41:27.900 --> 00:41:30.199 that takes place, but you're responsible for 00:41:30.199 --> 00:41:31.920 the first one. God will take care of the other 00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:35.679 one. You forgive. God will take care of the reconciliation 00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:38.460 and the restoration. And so, you know, what we 00:41:38.460 --> 00:41:40.199 see here in these verses, Joseph's brothers, 00:41:40.340 --> 00:41:42.699 they expected death, but they received mercy 00:41:42.699 --> 00:41:48.630 and they received grace. Then got full restoration 00:41:48.630 --> 00:41:51.429 and reconciliation and that is the gospel message. 00:41:54.550 --> 00:41:57.550 Scripture tells us that one day God's people, 00:41:57.670 --> 00:42:00.469 Israel, will stand before him and it says they'll 00:42:00.469 --> 00:42:02.170 look on the one that they pierced and they will 00:42:02.170 --> 00:42:05.570 mourn. And they will expect judgment. It even 00:42:05.570 --> 00:42:07.809 tells us that they'll look upon the scars and 00:42:07.809 --> 00:42:09.809 the wounds on his hands and Jesus will say, yeah, 00:42:09.869 --> 00:42:11.929 I received these in the house of my friends. 00:42:14.610 --> 00:42:17.639 But then, Judgment doesn't come. He forgives 00:42:17.639 --> 00:42:21.840 them. He saves them because they've recognized. 00:42:22.199 --> 00:42:24.159 And if you've never experienced the shocking 00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:26.099 revelation of God's forgiveness, well, today 00:42:26.099 --> 00:42:30.820 could be that day for you. To be stunned into 00:42:30.820 --> 00:42:35.980 silence. He wants to forgive me. He wants to 00:42:35.980 --> 00:42:38.219 extend. He doesn't just want to forgive me, but 00:42:38.219 --> 00:42:40.699 then he wants to bless me with grace and he wants 00:42:40.699 --> 00:42:46.889 to walk with me for the rest of my life. Yeah. 00:42:46.889 --> 00:42:49.070 So if you're like Joseph holding bitterness, 00:42:49.829 --> 00:42:53.510 yeah, forgive. Go have that conversation with 00:42:53.510 --> 00:42:55.690 somebody. Name the sin. You wronged me. It hurt. 00:42:56.110 --> 00:42:59.670 But I want to forgive you. I do forgive you. 00:43:01.030 --> 00:43:04.530 God allowed it and I just trust him and his sovereignty. 00:43:05.409 --> 00:43:07.309 That's why we say in counseling a lot that there's 00:43:07.309 --> 00:43:09.190 healing and forgiveness, right? Forgive and you'll 00:43:09.190 --> 00:43:12.900 be healed. You'll be set free. You truly will. 00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:16.739 When you stop caring that they need to pay and 00:43:16.739 --> 00:43:21.440 you recognize you're right, they need to pay 00:43:21.440 --> 00:43:27.280 and Jesus paid for it. You know, I always tell 00:43:27.280 --> 00:43:28.659 people when they're wrestling with forgiveness, 00:43:28.820 --> 00:43:30.679 I can't forgive, I can't forgive because they 00:43:30.679 --> 00:43:33.219 did this to me. I'm like, wow. They go, what 00:43:33.219 --> 00:43:34.840 do I do? And I say, I don't know. What did God 00:43:34.840 --> 00:43:38.239 do the last time you did that to him? What do 00:43:38.239 --> 00:43:41.239 you mean? Well, you're mad because they lied 00:43:41.239 --> 00:43:42.860 to you and they broke their promise, right? Yeah. 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:48.199 When's the last time you lied to God? What did 00:43:48.199 --> 00:43:52.599 God do? Did he demand you be held accountable 00:43:52.599 --> 00:43:55.119 and hold you against it? No, he forgave you. 00:43:55.340 --> 00:44:00.420 He died for it. He paid the price. So now let's 00:44:00.420 --> 00:44:03.739 answer your question. What do I do? I forgive. 00:44:05.039 --> 00:44:07.260 I don't hold it against them. If you're holding 00:44:07.260 --> 00:44:09.179 guilt and standing in the place of those guilty 00:44:09.179 --> 00:44:14.000 brothers, confess. Repent. Then receive the forgiveness 00:44:14.000 --> 00:44:16.639 that is offered to you. Step forward into reconciliation. 00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:20.699 Bring Jesus into the story. Because that's where 00:44:20.699 --> 00:44:24.139 everything changes. Because when Jesus enters 00:44:24.139 --> 00:44:26.440 the story, we realize and understand that everything 00:44:26.440 --> 00:44:29.460 that was meant for evil, he worked it out for 00:44:29.460 --> 00:44:34.000 good. He meant it for good. That there's an outcome 00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:39.579 that is good. And so, come to him. Even if you're 00:44:39.579 --> 00:44:42.320 a believer, come to him with your unforgiveness 00:44:42.320 --> 00:44:46.360 or your need to confess and say, God, I'm carrying 00:44:46.360 --> 00:44:49.519 this weight, what do I do? If you don't know 00:44:49.519 --> 00:44:51.719 Jesus Christ this morning, man, you need to come 00:44:51.719 --> 00:44:56.699 to him. Because he wants to forgive you. He wants 00:44:56.699 --> 00:44:58.559 to set you free from the guilt. He wants to fill 00:44:58.559 --> 00:45:00.300 you with his Holy Spirit, walk with you and grace 00:45:00.300 --> 00:45:02.019 you and bless you in ways you can't even imagine. 00:45:03.359 --> 00:45:05.539 He wants to do something amazing in your life 00:45:05.539 --> 00:45:07.219 and he's just waiting for you to finally come 00:45:07.219 --> 00:45:11.059 to that place of saying, God, I need your forgiveness. 00:45:14.500 --> 00:45:18.480 You guys ready for that this morning? Yeah, let's 00:45:18.480 --> 00:45:28.960 pray. Father, we love you. We thank you. God, 00:45:29.059 --> 00:45:35.900 so many of us have broken relationships. And 00:45:35.900 --> 00:45:38.320 we go back and forth on how to deal with these 00:45:38.320 --> 00:45:42.239 things, Lord. God, those of us that know you, 00:45:42.280 --> 00:45:44.099 that are your kids, Lord, we've been forgiven. 00:45:44.119 --> 00:45:47.519 We've been saved, Lord. We have experienced how 00:45:47.519 --> 00:45:51.139 relationship and reconciliation is supposed to 00:45:51.139 --> 00:45:54.820 happen. And so, God, move in our hearts that 00:45:54.820 --> 00:45:59.199 we would follow that example. Lord, that like 00:45:59.199 --> 00:46:02.099 Joseph in this story, whose desire was to restore 00:46:02.099 --> 00:46:04.940 that relationship, that desire was to be reconciled, 00:46:04.980 --> 00:46:07.559 the desire was to have restored fellowship with 00:46:07.559 --> 00:46:10.059 his brothers, Lord, that we would be those people. 00:46:10.840 --> 00:46:14.000 Instead of letting the hurt and the wound and 00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:16.820 all of that continue the division, Lord, that 00:46:16.820 --> 00:46:21.659 we would instead remember what you did for us. 00:46:25.420 --> 00:46:29.630 God, that you would change our heart. That you 00:46:29.630 --> 00:46:33.650 would help us, Lord. So desire reconciliation 00:46:33.650 --> 00:46:37.889 that we would pursue it. That we would forgive 00:46:37.889 --> 00:46:40.929 even before those who have wronged us repent. 00:46:43.269 --> 00:46:45.610 That we would let them know that, God. That we 00:46:45.610 --> 00:46:49.369 would come to them and give them mercy and all 00:46:49.369 --> 00:46:51.769 these things, Lord, so that, God, when that opportunity 00:46:51.769 --> 00:46:54.710 for reconciliation happens, we are ready with 00:46:54.710 --> 00:46:59.630 tears to embrace them. God, for those in this 00:46:59.630 --> 00:47:02.250 room that are believers, Lord, and we've wronged 00:47:02.250 --> 00:47:05.670 somebody. And like the brothers in this story, 00:47:05.750 --> 00:47:07.789 Lord, we've just kind of for years hidden it, 00:47:07.869 --> 00:47:13.590 buried it, tried to ignore it. But God, You've 00:47:13.590 --> 00:47:15.710 been stirring it back up in our lives so that 00:47:15.710 --> 00:47:22.570 we would come back to You, to face You, to understand 00:47:22.570 --> 00:47:28.710 what You did for us, Lord. That you love us. 00:47:28.889 --> 00:47:31.230 That because of your sacrifice, we are okay. 00:47:31.449 --> 00:47:33.929 That we're okay with you, God. And Lord, you 00:47:33.929 --> 00:47:36.130 just want us to say, I recognize it was wrong 00:47:36.130 --> 00:47:41.050 and I'm sorry. To receive the forgiveness and 00:47:41.050 --> 00:47:43.670 live in the forgiveness. To receive the grace 00:47:43.670 --> 00:47:46.949 of the blessing of moving forward. God, if we've 00:47:46.949 --> 00:47:48.909 wronged our brothers or sisters, Lord, that we 00:47:48.909 --> 00:47:51.389 would be able to step forward and stop hiding 00:47:51.389 --> 00:47:53.550 and just say, I know I've sinned against you. 00:47:53.590 --> 00:47:55.809 I've wronged you. I'm so sorry. Please forgive 00:47:55.809 --> 00:48:02.119 me. And that, Lord, as your body would follow 00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:04.119 your example on both sides of that equation, 00:48:04.400 --> 00:48:06.420 Lord, this would be a place of love and unity, 00:48:06.599 --> 00:48:11.179 a place of reunion and reconciliation, a holy 00:48:11.179 --> 00:48:15.300 place. Lord, for those that are here that have 00:48:15.300 --> 00:48:18.000 never made that decision to repent of their sin, 00:48:18.159 --> 00:48:21.559 Lord, maybe you've spoken to them this morning 00:48:21.559 --> 00:48:23.579 and they realize their need, God, that they are 00:48:23.579 --> 00:48:25.420 the guilty brothers standing before Almighty 00:48:25.420 --> 00:48:28.719 God. guilty of breaking Your law, of sinning 00:48:28.719 --> 00:48:31.659 against You, of living a life that they know 00:48:31.659 --> 00:48:33.880 is not pleasing to You, not the way You would 00:48:33.880 --> 00:48:36.960 call Your people to live. Maybe they've been 00:48:36.960 --> 00:48:42.539 afraid to come to You. But Lord, I pray right 00:48:42.539 --> 00:48:45.139 now they would understand and know and believe 00:48:45.139 --> 00:48:48.579 the truth that You have just simply been waiting 00:48:48.579 --> 00:48:56.170 for them to ask You. That You are eager. To reconcile. 00:48:56.469 --> 00:48:59.269 To extend forgiveness. That they would say, Lord 00:48:59.269 --> 00:49:03.010 God, forgive me of my sins. I believe your word. 00:49:04.269 --> 00:49:13.349 Come into my life. Forgive me. That they would 00:49:13.349 --> 00:49:15.230 know, Lord, that there are tears in your eyes 00:49:15.230 --> 00:49:18.610 and celebration in heaven at this moment. Not 00:49:18.610 --> 00:49:26.440 judgment. But joy. Lord, we thank you for your 00:49:26.440 --> 00:49:28.280 word and we thank you, Lord, for who you are. 00:49:29.320 --> 00:49:31.360 God, bless those that have received you this 00:49:31.360 --> 00:49:33.380 morning for the first time. Bless those that 00:49:33.380 --> 00:49:35.940 are your children who are now today, right now, 00:49:36.099 --> 00:49:39.639 going to take the steps to do what they need 00:49:39.639 --> 00:49:42.739 to do to pursue peace and unity and reconciliation 00:49:42.739 --> 00:49:46.420 in their lives. We love you and we thank you. 00:49:46.900 --> 00:49:51.389 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, God 00:49:51.389 --> 00:49:53.929 bless you guys. I pray the Lord bless you richly 00:49:53.929 --> 00:49:55.550 and whatever it is he's putting on your heart 00:49:55.550 --> 00:49:57.909 to do, whoever it is that you're supposed to 00:49:57.909 --> 00:50:02.530 go talk to, trust the Lord. Let that be blessed. 00:50:03.070 --> 00:50:06.289 Receive what he has for you. Let's worship God. 00:50:06.389 --> 00:50:08.010 Amen? Amen. God bless you.