Title: Lent for forgiveness (Genesis 50:15-...
Contents
Lent for forgiveness (Genesis 50:15-21) 2003.3.26.
According to one psychiatrist, most of the work done in psychiatry is directly related to forgiveness. Many patients feel guilty about their problems. So they want forgiveness. Such a conclusion is like a human figure who needs to be forgiven by God.
What kind of forgiveness is it?
We can speak of the forgiveness that comes after a child who disobeys God is called righteous. And we can speak of another forgiveness as being part of God's family before we receive this forgiveness.
Forgiveness here is not asking for forgiveness in the sense of asking for forgiveness when you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. This request (prayer) includes the forgiveness we received when we accepted Christ, who died as a one-time sacrifice for our past, present and future sins. However, if the forgiveness mentioned here refers to this kind of forgiveness, we may not have the guarantee of true salvation before God. We cannot say like Paul, 'We are sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus' (Philippians 1:6). We cannot say like Jeremiah, “I will remember their sins no more, saith the Lord.” It cannot be said, "As far as the east is from the west, so he has removed our sins from us."
The forgiveness the Lord speaks of here does not refer to the forgiveness we received when we were first saved. He forgives the sins committed afterward, the sins committed repeatedly, and the sins that have broken our relationship with God.
Forgiveness for Believers
We need to distinguish between two types of forgiveness. Unfortunately, there are believers who feel as if sin is eradicated from the Christian life. And some mistakenly believe that this forgiveness is no longer needed. The Lord instructed all his disciples to be forgiven.
Being a sinner does not end when a person becomes a Christian. Of course, God planted a new character in him. A new character is not a sin. That new character will continue to lead him into a holy life. But Christians still have a sinful nature that will never be eradicated from this world. You will find that the old nature continues to drag him into suffering and at every moment is severing communion with God. What can a Christian do in such an environment? The Bible teaches that in order to return to the Lord, he must confess his sins over and over again and ask for forgiveness and forgiveness. Without this, the joy of salvation would be lost to him. But continuing to seek forgiveness will increase the joy of dependent fellowship with God.
Moreover, this forgiveness includes our attitude towards others. If we do not forgive those who have wronged us, we will never experience God's forgiveness for us. “If you forgive men, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you” (Matthew 6:14-15).
This is not because God is waiting for us to learn His forgiveness by forgiving others. We cannot learn the love of God. This is because we will not have a right relationship with others and we will not be able to ask God for forgiveness. God does not draw anything. When others forgive us half, that doesn't mean God forgives us half of our sins.
Sin is like debt. Debts must be paid off. Otherwise, you should be punished accordingly. If the person who has forgiven the debt does not forgive the other person, the person who forgave it will not escape the wrath of the forgiver. (Matthew 18:21-25) Therefore, as a forgiven sinner, believers have an obligation to forgive the sins of others. Of course, forgiving others is not a condition for being forgiven. In praying this prayer, there should be no hesitation before God.
This text is the last chapter of Genesis, and it mentions the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers. First, Joseph's brothers did evil to him. They hated Joseph, bruised him, and tried to kill him by throwing him into a pit, and sold his self-denial to the merchants. Joseph, who was sold, suffered a lot of hardship. While resisting temptation, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. But he overcame all difficulties and ended up becoming the prime minister of Egypt. And I met old brothers. Joseph could get revenge if he wanted to. Thinking about what had happened to him in the past, he could have taken revenge. And the brothers were also afraid of Joseph's revenge. But look at verses 20 and 21 of the text.
“You intended to harm me, but God turned it into good, so that as it is today, the lives of all people are saved. Do not be afraid, I will feed you and your children,” and comforted them with earnest words.
Joseph knew through his life that God is a God who turns evil into good. Our God is a God who turns evil into good. He is a God who forgives without revenge. As we celebrate Lent today, we remember Jesus Christ crucified. He was the Son of God, and he suffered evil from the ignorant. They were ridiculed and despised, beaten and killed. Christ crucified, but he prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Lent is a time to learn and put into practice the love of Jesus Christ, who turns evil into good and forgives evil. The season of Lent is the season of forgiveness and reconciliation even if you are an enemy, even if you have committed all sorts of evil deeds toward me that cannot be forgiven. I pray that this Lenten season will be a season of forgiveness and reconciliation by learning and practicing the love of Jesus Christ, who turns evil into good.
An unforgivable life! Are we not living such a life now? We are living today without even enjoying the grace of forgiveness that God has promised. If we come before God and confess with our lips, no matter how deep our sins may be, it is clearly thrown before us that He will forgive us, but we are not enjoying that grace.
How is Joseph's life as we see it today? The appearance of Joseph seen through today's text is the last appearance of his life. But the last appearance is nothing but forgiveness! That's it. Look at verse 15 of the text! When his father Jacob died, his brothers were very afraid. They fear that Joseph might retaliate. So they are defending themselves by selling their father's name and making up words that he did not say. Verses 16-17 are just that.
Now Joseph's brothers are trembling with fear over what they had done wrong in the past. But today, Joseph is forgiving all the sins of the past of his brothers. Where there is forgiveness! It is definitely heaven. A place full of forgiveness! There is no doubt that it is heaven. It's a really nice world to live in. Who among us does not make a mistake? One of the greatest traits we humans have is our mistakes! That's it.
So forgive me! It is essential to the world we live in. anger! It doesn't have to be in us. condemnation! It doesn't even have to be in us. But forgive me! It must be in us. So who can forgive? Who can truly be a person of forgiveness? Today's sermon clearly gives us the answer to that question. First, in verse 19, to his brothers who were trembling from fear, Joseph said, "Do not be afraid! Shall I be in God's place?" said.
Doesn't this verse mean that condemnation is God's exclusive possession? condemnation! It is something only God can do. A sinful person cannot condemn anyone. That's why the prosecution in this country needs to be clean. But what about it? Is there not one among us without sin? There is not. None of us can live a sinless life. So condemned! It cannot be ours.
Moreover, we have been given a very special message. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from that and from the law of death!” Therefore, no one in the world can condemn us now. Neither are we in a position to condemn anyone.
Dear saints of Yeongam! This is Joseph's confession today. How can I replace God? I am not able to do that. Such a confession! This ritual of Joseph! If we have this consciousness within us, we too can be willing to forgive someone. With this ritual that no one can condemn, it is our sincere hope that forgiveness will fill us today.
Second, would you like to read verse 20? You tried to harm me, but God turned it into a good one to save the lives of all people as it is today! Saints! Remember? It is the saying that all things work together for good. Joseph assures us once again that these very words are accurate and infallible. Our God makes every situation, no matter how bad, good and good for His children in the end.
Isn't that Joseph's confession today? It was God, not the brothers, who made him sell himself to Egypt by his brothers earlier. God had Joseph first sold to Egypt in order to foresee the distant future so that His people could stay in a safe place.
That's right. There is no coincidence in us. The word luck is not really suitable for those of us who live by faith. God's Providence! It is only within us. When we have this consciousness in us today! We can forgive anyone. Therefore, saints! Has someone caused me great pain right now? Think of it as a providence of God! Then you will be forgiven.
God's thoughts are contained in God's providence. God's thoughts are much deeper and much higher than our thoughts. Let's look at Isaiah 55:8-9. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, saith the LORD, My ways are not your ways, just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
So God's providence! In that providence, there is a really good plan that we cannot know. Belief in this fact! When that faith is in us, we too can forgive. May the forgiveness that comes from such a belief fill us.
Romans 5:6 says that while we were still weak, we were loved by the Lord. Verse 8 says that while we were still sinners, we put on the man of the Lord. Verse 10 says when we were enemies with God! At that time, it was said that we were put on the love of the Lord. Saints! The Lord's love for us is a love that is full of forgiveness. We also need forgiveness now. A love that is deeply infused with forgiveness! That kind of love is what we need.