¤
00:00:02.03\00:00:09.70
>> I invite you to stand for our
00:00:14.51\00:00:15.38
praise.
00:00:15.48\00:00:17.15
[ "Agnus Dei/
00:00:17.25\00:00:19.71
How Great Is Our God" begins ]
00:00:19.81\00:00:22.52
¤
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>> Our next song will be
00:05:20.18\00:05:22.15
"How Great Thou Art."
00:05:22.25\00:05:24.49
¤
00:05:24.59\00:05:34.30
>> Our next song is going to be
00:08:46.62\00:08:48.12
a medley of "Lord, I Lift Your
00:08:48.22\00:08:49.29
Name On High"
00:08:49.39\00:08:50.49
and "Great Are You, Lord."
00:08:50.59\00:08:51.99
And you can clap.
00:08:52.09\00:08:54.13
¤
00:08:54.23\00:08:57.37
[ Rhythmic clapping ]
00:08:57.47\00:08:59.73
>> I have this fondest memory of
00:11:01.36\00:11:03.22
being in church and hear
00:11:03.32\00:11:04.63
singing.
00:11:04.73\00:11:06.09
And everyone was singing.
00:11:06.19\00:11:07.20
It was so powerful.
00:11:07.30\00:11:08.23
And I hear you guys singing,
00:11:08.33\00:11:09.60
I hear you guys clapping, but I
00:11:09.70\00:11:10.93
think there could be more.
00:11:11.03\00:11:13.74
So I want you guys, with these
00:11:13.84\00:11:15.47
next couple of lines, sing it
00:11:15.57\00:11:17.14
with all of your heart and let
00:11:17.24\00:11:18.81
it resound in your voice.
00:11:18.91\00:11:19.94
Ready?
00:11:20.04\00:11:21.54
>> One more time.
00:11:51.44\00:11:52.84
>> Thank you. You may be seated.
00:13:41.75\00:13:43.59
¤
00:13:43.69\00:13:46.89
>> It is good
00:13:50.23\00:13:50.93
to be back with you.
00:13:51.03\00:13:51.73
It has been a few weeks.
00:13:51.83\00:13:53.56
I had to go to Australia.
00:13:53.66\00:13:55.63
[ Congregation murmuring ]
00:13:55.73\00:13:57.73
Thank you, thank you.
00:13:57.83\00:13:58.70
Yes. Yeah.
00:13:58.80\00:14:00.67
So, two days, I think it was,
00:14:00.77\00:14:02.97
before I left, with the wind
00:14:03.07\00:14:04.17
chill, it was minus-20 here.
00:14:04.27\00:14:06.14
And it hit 84, 82, something
00:14:06.24\00:14:08.61
like, that while
00:14:08.71\00:14:10.18
I was down there in Australia.
00:14:10.28\00:14:11.15
So, I mean, somebody
00:14:11.25\00:14:12.41
has to do that.
00:14:12.51\00:14:13.18
Somebody has to --
00:14:13.28\00:14:14.35
Somebody has to make the
00:14:14.45\00:14:15.58
sacrifice and go.
00:14:15.68\00:14:17.19
The reason for me going was
00:14:17.29\00:14:19.19
actually very blessed.
00:14:19.29\00:14:20.42
I went to speak for AYC, which
00:14:20.52\00:14:22.22
is essentially Australia's
00:14:22.32\00:14:23.66
version of GYC
00:14:23.76\00:14:24.83
down there in Melbourne.
00:14:24.93\00:14:26.46
Excuse me,
00:14:26.56\00:14:27.56
[Australian accent] Melbourne.
00:14:27.66\00:14:29.36
And it was a great experience.
00:14:29.46\00:14:30.97
The Lord blessed.
00:14:31.07\00:14:31.93
It was interesting preaching
00:14:32.03\00:14:33.30
at 4:00 AM body time, you know,
00:14:33.40\00:14:36.34
because it's on the other side
00:14:36.44\00:14:37.01
of the world.
00:14:37.11\00:14:37.67
That was an interesting
00:14:37.77\00:14:38.57
experience.
00:14:38.67\00:14:39.44
But the Lord blessed some very,
00:14:39.54\00:14:41.34
very good people down there.
00:14:41.44\00:14:42.81
The Lord's work is alive
00:14:42.91\00:14:44.11
and well in Australia, so...
00:14:44.21\00:14:48.55
Welcome to part three
00:14:48.65\00:14:50.29
of our series entitled God
00:14:50.39\00:14:51.85
Has Great Plans for Your Past.
00:14:51.95\00:14:54.62
And if you missed parts one
00:14:54.72\00:14:56.26
and two, I am sorry, I do not
00:14:56.36\00:14:57.39
have the time this morning
00:14:57.49\00:14:58.43
to give you a review,
00:14:58.53\00:14:59.36
but if you go to PMchurch.org,
00:14:59.46\00:15:00.80
you will find some links
00:15:00.90\00:15:01.83
to our archive and you can catch
00:15:01.93\00:15:04.67
up on parts one and two.
00:15:04.77\00:15:07.20
We have spent a lot of time
00:15:07.30\00:15:08.64
talking about what to do
00:15:08.74\00:15:11.47
when the shadow of your past,
00:15:11.57\00:15:12.91
the things that you have done
00:15:13.01\00:15:13.71
wrong in the past
00:15:13.81\00:15:16.44
is casting onto your present.
00:15:16.54\00:15:18.48
We've talked quite a bit
00:15:18.58\00:15:19.28
about that, but what do you do
00:15:19.38\00:15:22.52
when the past is casting
00:15:22.62\00:15:24.19
a shadow on your present,
00:15:24.29\00:15:26.52
not because of something
00:15:26.62\00:15:27.62
that you did to someone else,
00:15:27.72\00:15:30.63
but because of what someone else
00:15:30.73\00:15:32.89
has done to you?
00:15:32.99\00:15:35.86
Someone else has harmed you.
00:15:35.96\00:15:41.17
You know, in my experience,
00:15:41.27\00:15:42.94
the response of human beings
00:15:43.04\00:15:45.71
when they are experiencing harm
00:15:45.81\00:15:48.84
or about to experience harm,
00:15:48.94\00:15:50.21
and particularly if they have no
00:15:50.31\00:15:50.95
control over it,
00:15:51.05\00:15:52.51
the gut instinct is to run.
00:15:52.61\00:15:56.15
And this is not all a bad thing.
00:15:56.25\00:15:57.62
If there's a guy that's seven
00:15:57.72\00:15:59.42
feet tall and 400 pounds
00:15:59.52\00:16:01.06
and he's swinging his fist
00:16:01.16\00:16:01.82
at your jaw,
00:16:01.92\00:16:03.06
you should probably run.
00:16:03.16\00:16:04.59
Okay, that's a good thing.
00:16:04.69\00:16:06.26
If you're in
00:16:06.36\00:16:07.00
an abusive relationship,
00:16:07.10\00:16:08.50
you should get out.
00:16:08.60\00:16:09.36
Make your plan.
00:16:09.46\00:16:10.20
Make your escape. Run.
00:16:10.30\00:16:11.33
Get away.
00:16:11.43\00:16:13.34
And...and...
00:16:13.44\00:16:17.01
Sometimes that instinct to run
00:16:17.11\00:16:20.38
actually becomes a way of life.
00:16:20.48\00:16:24.01
Running away from the past
00:16:24.11\00:16:25.35
becomes a way of life
00:16:25.45\00:16:27.22
to the extent
00:16:27.32\00:16:28.05
that we are still running,
00:16:28.15\00:16:29.42
even though the actual threat
00:16:29.52\00:16:31.09
of harm has long since passed.
00:16:31.19\00:16:34.52
Now, this running
00:16:34.62\00:16:35.52
takes various forms.
00:16:35.62\00:16:36.93
Some people will move thousands
00:16:37.03\00:16:38.09
of miles away to get away
00:16:38.19\00:16:39.73
from the harm of the past.
00:16:39.83\00:16:41.50
I remember reading one story
00:16:41.60\00:16:42.50
of somebody who actually
00:16:42.60\00:16:43.23
got plastic surgery.
00:16:43.33\00:16:44.97
They got an entirely
00:16:45.07\00:16:46.13
new identity in a new place
00:16:46.23\00:16:47.54
and a new -- running away
00:16:47.64\00:16:48.90
from the harms of the past.
00:16:49.00\00:16:51.17
Most people
00:16:51.27\00:16:52.34
don't go to that extreme,
00:16:52.44\00:16:53.78
but even if we stay
00:16:53.88\00:16:54.94
put physically,
00:16:55.04\00:16:57.08
there's lots and lots of running
00:16:57.18\00:16:58.78
from the shadow of the harms
00:16:58.88\00:17:00.05
of the past.
00:17:00.15\00:17:01.55
Physically, socially, mentally.
00:17:01.65\00:17:05.49
Sometimes we run
00:17:05.59\00:17:06.79
by overcompensating.
00:17:06.89\00:17:08.49
We try to appear like
00:17:08.59\00:17:10.26
we are stronger
00:17:10.36\00:17:11.83
or faster or smarter
00:17:11.93\00:17:13.36
than we actually are.
00:17:13.46\00:17:15.80
Trying to prove to other people
00:17:15.90\00:17:16.90
around us
00:17:17.00\00:17:17.67
that the past never happened
00:17:17.77\00:17:19.00
and maybe actually were also
00:17:19.10\00:17:21.44
trying to convince ourselves
00:17:21.54\00:17:23.44
that it never happened.
00:17:23.54\00:17:26.81
And as you're listening
00:17:26.91\00:17:27.48
to my voice,
00:17:27.58\00:17:28.34
there are some of you here
00:17:28.44\00:17:29.28
that know that you are running.
00:17:29.38\00:17:30.45
There's some of you
00:17:30.55\00:17:30.98
that don't know.
00:17:31.08\00:17:31.95
Maybe the people around you may
00:17:32.05\00:17:32.91
know it, maybe closest to you,
00:17:33.01\00:17:33.85
maybe they know, maybe not.
00:17:33.95\00:17:35.52
But you are running and some
00:17:35.62\00:17:36.92
of you have run long enough
00:17:37.02\00:17:39.52
that you realize
00:17:39.62\00:17:40.39
this is not a race
00:17:40.49\00:17:42.09
that you can win by running.
00:17:42.19\00:17:45.79
And you would like
00:17:45.89\00:17:47.20
nothing better than to stop.
00:17:47.30\00:17:52.10
To rest.
00:17:52.20\00:17:54.47
And to no longer have the shadow
00:17:54.57\00:17:56.64
of harms past
00:17:56.74\00:17:58.57
intruding onto your present.
00:17:58.67\00:18:02.54
Well, if you find yourself
00:18:02.64\00:18:03.88
in that situation this morning,
00:18:03.98\00:18:05.01
or if you know somebody that's
00:18:05.11\00:18:06.58
in that situation, praise the
00:18:06.68\00:18:08.02
Lord, there is good news.
00:18:08.12\00:18:10.62
You can.
00:18:10.72\00:18:13.69
You can stop running.
00:18:13.79\00:18:18.73
Because, again, God has
00:18:18.83\00:18:20.83
great plans for your past.
00:18:20.93\00:18:24.50
Now, quickly, before we dive
00:18:24.60\00:18:26.17
into this, there are two things
00:18:26.27\00:18:27.77
that I need to share.
00:18:27.87\00:18:28.84
Brief but important.
00:18:28.94\00:18:30.11
Number one, the journey that I'm
00:18:30.21\00:18:31.71
going to talk about today, for
00:18:31.81\00:18:33.17
some of you, should only be
00:18:33.27\00:18:34.58
undertaken with the help of
00:18:34.68\00:18:36.01
caring Christian friends around
00:18:36.11\00:18:37.55
you who know what's going on.
00:18:37.65\00:18:38.68
And for some of you,
00:18:38.78\00:18:39.61
you also need the help of
00:18:39.71\00:18:41.02
an ongoing relationship with
00:18:41.12\00:18:42.68
a qualified Christian counselor.
00:18:42.78\00:18:46.09
Now, some people are really
00:18:46.19\00:18:47.22
reluctant to go see a Christian
00:18:47.32\00:18:48.09
counselor.
00:18:48.19\00:18:48.82
I just want to tell you,
00:18:48.92\00:18:49.76
don't be, don't be.
00:18:49.86\00:18:50.73
Whatever difficulty you think
00:18:50.83\00:18:52.36
you might encounter by going to
00:18:52.46\00:18:53.50
a qualified professional
00:18:53.60\00:18:54.66
Christian counselor,
00:18:54.76\00:18:55.86
the benefits will outweigh
00:18:55.96\00:18:57.43
the pain. Okay?
00:18:57.53\00:18:59.27
And sometimes the difficulty
00:18:59.37\00:19:00.57
of what happened in the past,
00:19:00.67\00:19:01.67
the harms that happened to you,
00:19:01.77\00:19:02.44
requires somebody
00:19:02.54\00:19:04.01
that's had experience,
00:19:04.11\00:19:05.04
that knows what they're doing.
00:19:05.14\00:19:06.31
So don't be afraid to find help
00:19:06.41\00:19:07.64
when you need it.
00:19:07.74\00:19:09.18
And secondly, the journey that
00:19:09.28\00:19:11.41
I'm going to talk about today
00:19:11.51\00:19:12.38
is one that I have taken.
00:19:12.48\00:19:13.78
And given
00:19:13.88\00:19:14.75
the uncertainty of life,
00:19:14.85\00:19:15.78
maybe I'll have to take it
00:19:15.88\00:19:16.48
again sometime.
00:19:16.58\00:19:18.02
And I can tell you for sure
00:19:18.12\00:19:20.32
that what I'm going to talk
00:19:20.42\00:19:21.46
about today from Scripture,
00:19:21.56\00:19:22.89
if you decide to do it,
00:19:22.99\00:19:24.13
some of the blessings involved
00:19:24.23\00:19:26.29
will come just like that,
00:19:26.39\00:19:27.86
almost instantaneously.
00:19:27.96\00:19:29.93
And some of the blessings
00:19:30.03\00:19:31.00
will take years.
00:19:31.10\00:19:34.00
So don't be discouraged.
00:19:34.10\00:19:36.84
If you take what we're going to
00:19:36.94\00:19:38.04
talk about here today and you
00:19:38.14\00:19:39.14
begin to apply it to your
00:19:39.24\00:19:40.21
life -- "Oh, man. How come
00:19:40.31\00:19:41.38
I'm not making the progress?" --
00:19:41.48\00:19:42.34
Hang in there.
00:19:42.44\00:19:43.35
Put your hand in Christ's.
00:19:43.45\00:19:44.95
He loves you. He cares for you.
00:19:45.05\00:19:45.98
He died for you.
00:19:46.08\00:19:46.75
He lives for you.
00:19:46.85\00:19:48.08
He will take you through
00:19:48.18\00:19:49.85
no matter how long it takes.
00:19:49.95\00:19:53.09
And with that in mind,
00:19:53.19\00:19:55.12
let's get to it.
00:19:55.22\00:19:57.79
As it turns out,
00:19:57.89\00:19:59.63
when there have been harms
00:19:59.73\00:20:01.16
to us in the past that are
00:20:01.26\00:20:02.63
overshadowing the present.
00:20:02.73\00:20:04.67
As it turns out,
00:20:04.77\00:20:05.27
biblically speaking,
00:20:05.37\00:20:06.17
there actually is not one
00:20:06.27\00:20:07.37
single path
00:20:07.47\00:20:09.17
that God has used in the lives
00:20:09.27\00:20:10.71
of various Bible characters
00:20:10.81\00:20:11.64
to make that happen.
00:20:11.74\00:20:13.01
However, it seems clear to me,
00:20:13.11\00:20:15.61
and I trust you'll agree
00:20:15.71\00:20:17.31
by the time we're done here,
00:20:17.41\00:20:18.18
that there are two
00:20:18.28\00:20:20.12
basic tasks that
00:20:20.22\00:20:22.65
God asks us to undertake
00:20:22.75\00:20:24.92
if we are to leave
00:20:25.02\00:20:26.25
behind the shadows of harms
00:20:26.35\00:20:27.72
done against us in the past
00:20:27.82\00:20:28.86
and move into the light
00:20:28.96\00:20:29.89
of His present and future.
00:20:29.99\00:20:31.09
Two basic tasks.
00:20:31.19\00:20:34.63
And those two basic tasks
00:20:34.73\00:20:38.63
can be found here.
00:20:38.73\00:20:40.57
Genesis chapter 37, please.
00:20:40.67\00:20:42.40
Genesis 37:17, page 27
00:20:42.50\00:20:45.51
on the red Bible that's in most
00:20:45.61\00:20:46.68
of your pews there.
00:20:46.78\00:20:47.94
Page 27, Genesis 37,
00:20:48.04\00:20:50.65
beginning with verse 17.
00:20:50.75\00:20:52.05
And, actually, let's start
00:20:52.15\00:20:52.91
in the middle of verse 17.
00:20:53.01\00:20:55.02
We're going to talk
00:20:55.12\00:20:55.75
about a story here
00:20:55.85\00:20:56.72
of a guy by the name of Joseph.
00:20:56.82\00:20:58.62
Now, the story of Joseph
00:20:58.72\00:20:59.35
is so rich and deep,
00:20:59.45\00:21:00.59
we could spend weeks on it
00:21:00.69\00:21:01.46
and you would not
00:21:01.56\00:21:02.02
exhaust the topic.
00:21:02.12\00:21:03.56
We're just going to pull some
00:21:03.66\00:21:04.36
particular things out here.
00:21:04.46\00:21:05.29
Joseph was the son of Jacob.
00:21:05.39\00:21:07.93
Jacob had many sons, actually.
00:21:08.00\00:21:09.90
In fact, so many sons,
00:21:10.00\00:21:11.03
these were the sons
00:21:11.13\00:21:12.13
that eventually became the heads
00:21:12.23\00:21:13.47
of the tribes of Israel,
00:21:13.57\00:21:14.64
the 12 tribes of Israel.
00:21:14.74\00:21:16.27
This is very early, therefore,
00:21:16.37\00:21:18.07
in Jewish history.
00:21:18.17\00:21:19.54
And Joseph is
00:21:19.64\00:21:21.44
a little bit spoiled by his dad.
00:21:21.54\00:21:24.05
He's one of two sons from
00:21:24.15\00:21:25.81
Jacob's wife, Rachel.
00:21:25.91\00:21:28.05
And he's the favorite.
00:21:28.15\00:21:29.42
And they're spoiled.
00:21:29.52\00:21:30.72
Joseph has a dream.
00:21:30.82\00:21:32.85
God gives him this dream.
00:21:32.95\00:21:34.46
And in the dream, it essentially
00:21:34.56\00:21:35.76
says that, at some point,
00:21:35.86\00:21:37.13
Joseph will rule
00:21:37.23\00:21:38.63
over his brothers.
00:21:38.73\00:21:40.16
The younger will rule
00:21:40.26\00:21:41.00
over the older.
00:21:41.10\00:21:42.70
Now, that will get you
00:21:42.80\00:21:43.67
in trouble a little bit today.
00:21:43.77\00:21:45.37
But in those days,
00:21:45.47\00:21:46.53
I mean, this this was heresy.
00:21:46.63\00:21:47.97
I mean, it was it was a very
00:21:48.07\00:21:49.24
age-stratified,
00:21:49.34\00:21:50.97
age-respecting culture, and so
00:21:51.07\00:21:53.01
for the younger to proclaim,
00:21:53.11\00:21:53.84
"Hey, you're all going
00:21:53.94\00:21:54.88
to bow down to me someday,"
00:21:54.98\00:21:55.94
ah, those were fighting words.
00:21:56.04\00:21:57.01
They were angry.
00:21:57.11\00:21:58.65
And then, God gives
00:21:58.75\00:21:59.65
a second dream and basically
00:21:59.75\00:22:01.18
it says the same thing.
00:22:01.28\00:22:02.52
And Joseph naively runs out,
00:22:02.62\00:22:04.05
tells his brothers again,
00:22:04.15\00:22:05.12
and they are furious about it.
00:22:05.22\00:22:09.49
Jacob one day calls Joseph
00:22:09.59\00:22:11.09
and said, "I want you to deliver
00:22:11.19\00:22:12.19
some things to your brothers
00:22:12.29\00:22:13.13
out in the fields."
00:22:13.23\00:22:13.93
And, so, Joseph goes to find
00:22:14.00\00:22:14.63
them.
00:22:14.73\00:22:15.36
It takes him a little bit.
00:22:15.46\00:22:17.50
And that's where we join
00:22:17.60\00:22:17.97
the story.
00:22:18.07\00:22:18.70
Verse 17 of Genesis 37.
00:22:18.80\00:22:22.27
Middle of that verse says,
00:22:22.37\00:22:22.94
"So Joseph went
00:22:23.04\00:22:24.27
after his brothers
00:22:24.37\00:22:25.41
and found them near Dothan,
00:22:25.51\00:22:27.48
but they saw him
00:22:27.58\00:22:28.18
in the distance,
00:22:28.28\00:22:29.44
and before he reached them,
00:22:29.54\00:22:30.58
they plotted to kill him.
00:22:30.68\00:22:33.42
'Here comes that dreamer,'
00:22:33.52\00:22:34.62
they said to each other.
00:22:34.72\00:22:35.78
'Come now, let's kill him
00:22:35.88\00:22:37.59
and throw him into one of these
00:22:37.69\00:22:38.52
cisterns and say that a
00:22:38.62\00:22:39.69
ferocious animal devoured him.
00:22:39.79\00:22:41.52
Then we'll see what comes
00:22:41.62\00:22:42.89
of his dreams.'
00:22:42.99\00:22:45.43
When Reuben heard this, he tried
00:22:45.53\00:22:46.56
to rescue him from their hands.
00:22:46.66\00:22:48.33
'Let's not take his life,'
00:22:48.43\00:22:49.46
he said. 'Don't shed any blood.
00:22:49.56\00:22:51.63
Throw him into this cistern here
00:22:51.73\00:22:52.63
in the desert,
00:22:52.73\00:22:53.40
but don't lay a hand on him.'
00:22:53.50\00:22:56.07
Reuben said this to rescue him
00:22:56.17\00:22:56.94
from them
00:22:57.04\00:22:57.77
and take him back to his father.
00:22:57.87\00:23:00.31
So when Joseph
00:23:00.41\00:23:01.01
came to his brothers,
00:23:01.11\00:23:02.04
they stripped him of his robe,
00:23:02.14\00:23:03.41
the richly ornamented robe
00:23:03.51\00:23:04.61
he was wearing,
00:23:04.71\00:23:05.38
which his father Jacob
00:23:05.48\00:23:06.31
had given to him,
00:23:06.41\00:23:07.52
and they took him and threw him
00:23:07.62\00:23:08.58
into the cistern.
00:23:08.68\00:23:10.02
Now, the cistern was empty.
00:23:10.12\00:23:10.92
There was no water in it.
00:23:11.02\00:23:12.65
As they sat down to eat
00:23:12.75\00:23:13.96
their meal, they looked up
00:23:14.06\00:23:15.39
and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites
00:23:15.49\00:23:17.49
coming from Gilead.
00:23:17.59\00:23:19.06
Their camels were loaded
00:23:19.16\00:23:20.06
with spices, balm, and myrrh,
00:23:20.16\00:23:21.36
and they were on their way
00:23:21.46\00:23:22.26
to take them down to Egypt.
00:23:22.36\00:23:24.00
Judah said to his brothers,
00:23:24.10\00:23:25.60
'What will we gain
00:23:25.70\00:23:26.87
if we kill our brother
00:23:26.97\00:23:27.97
and cover up his blood?
00:23:28.07\00:23:29.04
Come, let's sell him
00:23:29.14\00:23:30.47
to the Ishmaelites
00:23:30.57\00:23:31.67
and not lay our hands on him.
00:23:31.77\00:23:33.91
After all, he is our brother,
00:23:34.01\00:23:35.18
our own flesh and blood.'
00:23:35.28\00:23:36.88
His brothers agreed."
00:23:36.98\00:23:38.18
Now, pause for just a moment.
00:23:38.28\00:23:40.12
In what culture, in what type of
00:23:40.22\00:23:42.28
sanity is this an equal trade?
00:23:42.38\00:23:45.12
"Okay, we don't want to kill
00:23:45.22\00:23:46.32
him, he's our brother.
00:23:46.42\00:23:47.52
Let's let someone else do it."
00:23:47.62\00:23:48.49
Okay?
00:23:48.59\00:23:50.36
This gives you a picture of kind
00:23:50.46\00:23:51.79
of the barbarity of the culture
00:23:51.89\00:23:52.99
of that time.
00:23:53.09\00:23:54.66
Verse 28.
00:23:54.76\00:23:56.00
"So when the Midianite merchants
00:23:56.10\00:23:57.37
came by, his brothers pulled
00:23:57.47\00:23:58.70
Joseph up out of the cistern
00:23:58.80\00:24:00.10
and sold him for 20 shekels
00:24:00.20\00:24:01.84
of silver to the Ishmaelites,
00:24:01.94\00:24:03.57
who took him to Egypt."
00:24:03.67\00:24:05.44
Skip down to verse 36, please.
00:24:05.54\00:24:07.38
"Meanwhile, the Midianites
00:24:07.48\00:24:08.74
sold Joseph
00:24:08.84\00:24:10.18
in Egypt to Potiphar,
00:24:10.28\00:24:12.08
one of Pharaoh's officials,
00:24:12.18\00:24:13.35
the captain of the guard."
00:24:13.45\00:24:17.95
Now, does this qualify as harm?
00:24:18.05\00:24:24.89
Can we just be agreed
00:24:24.99\00:24:25.76
about that?
00:24:25.86\00:24:27.00
Yes? Yes? Okay. All right.
00:24:27.10\00:24:28.20
Some of you were slow.
00:24:28.30\00:24:29.30
It's not a trick question, okay.
00:24:29.40\00:24:30.23
Yeah. This qualifies.
00:24:30.33\00:24:31.97
I grew up with lots of siblings
00:24:32.07\00:24:33.60
here and there, half, steps,
00:24:33.70\00:24:34.84
biological, et cetera,
00:24:34.94\00:24:36.20
and we had lots of fights,
00:24:36.30\00:24:37.61
but no one ever sold me into
00:24:37.71\00:24:38.74
slavery and no one ever threw
00:24:38.84\00:24:39.87
me into an old well.
00:24:39.97\00:24:40.78
Okay?
00:24:40.88\00:24:42.44
This is genuine harm
00:24:42.54\00:24:43.98
that Joseph is experiencing.
00:24:44.08\00:24:45.15
I mean, can you imagine?
00:24:45.25\00:24:46.15
He's probably still a little bit
00:24:46.25\00:24:47.88
smaller, at least, than
00:24:47.98\00:24:49.02
his older brothers.
00:24:49.12\00:24:50.29
He's certainly outnumbered.
00:24:50.39\00:24:52.09
And they attack him here.
00:24:52.19\00:24:53.52
For all he knows,
00:24:53.62\00:24:54.82
he's going to be killed.
00:24:54.92\00:24:56.06
And then, he's sold to slavers.
00:24:56.16\00:25:00.86
How easy it must have been
00:25:00.96\00:25:04.77
for Joseph to be tempted
00:25:04.87\00:25:06.07
to turn inward,
00:25:06.17\00:25:07.10
to become bitter,
00:25:07.20\00:25:08.44
certainly against his brothers,
00:25:08.54\00:25:09.70
and quite possibly
00:25:09.80\00:25:11.01
even with God himself.
00:25:11.11\00:25:12.64
Right? Because after
00:25:12.74\00:25:14.48
all, the dreams that
00:25:14.58\00:25:16.04
the brothers were upset about,
00:25:16.14\00:25:17.45
where'd the dreams come from?
00:25:17.55\00:25:19.41
It's from God, right?
00:25:19.51\00:25:20.62
This is from God.
00:25:20.72\00:25:21.68
And, so, Joseph here, I mean,
00:25:21.78\00:25:22.85
he's just delivering the good
00:25:22.95\00:25:23.79
news that God has given to him,
00:25:23.89\00:25:24.75
and this is his reward.
00:25:24.85\00:25:27.39
I mean, how easy
00:25:27.49\00:25:28.79
it would have been for Joseph
00:25:28.89\00:25:29.99
to slip into skepticism,
00:25:30.09\00:25:31.99
to start running.
00:25:32.09\00:25:34.60
To run from his past,
00:25:34.73\00:25:35.96
to run from his brothers,
00:25:36.06\00:25:37.27
and, yes, to run from God.
00:25:37.37\00:25:42.40
But notice carefully.
00:25:42.50\00:25:44.91
Genesis chapter 39, please.
00:25:45.01\00:25:47.88
Verse 1.
00:25:47.98\00:25:49.64
Genesis 39, beginning
00:25:49.74\00:25:52.35
with verse 1 -- page 28.
00:25:52.45\00:25:53.55
Just another page over there.
00:25:53.65\00:25:55.92
Genesis 39,
00:25:56.02\00:25:56.99
beginning with verse 1.
00:25:57.09\00:25:59.79
"Now, Joseph had been taken down
00:25:59.89\00:26:00.86
to Egypt.
00:26:00.96\00:26:02.19
Potiphar, an Egyptian who was
00:26:02.29\00:26:03.63
one of Pharaoh's officials,
00:26:03.73\00:26:04.63
the captain of the guard,
00:26:04.73\00:26:06.06
bought him from the Ishmaelites
00:26:06.16\00:26:07.20
who had taken him there.
00:26:07.30\00:26:09.06
The Lord was with Joseph,
00:26:09.16\00:26:10.70
and he prospered,
00:26:10.80\00:26:11.83
and he lived in the house
00:26:11.93\00:26:12.73
of his Egyptian master.
00:26:12.83\00:26:14.24
When his master saw
00:26:14.34\00:26:15.20
that the Lord is with him,
00:26:15.30\00:26:16.40
and that the Lord gave him
00:26:16.50\00:26:17.81
success in everything he did,
00:26:17.91\00:26:19.34
Joseph found favor in his eyes
00:26:19.44\00:26:21.01
and became his attendant.
00:26:21.11\00:26:22.71
Potiphar put him in charge
00:26:22.81\00:26:23.65
of his household,
00:26:23.75\00:26:24.68
and he entrusted to his care
00:26:24.78\00:26:25.95
everything he owned.
00:26:26.05\00:26:27.75
From the time he put him
00:26:27.85\00:26:28.55
in charge of his household
00:26:28.65\00:26:29.48
and of all that he owned,
00:26:29.58\00:26:30.39
the Lord blessed the household
00:26:30.49\00:26:31.59
of the Egyptian because of
00:26:31.69\00:26:32.99
Joseph.
00:26:33.09\00:26:34.26
The blessing of the Lord
00:26:34.36\00:26:35.29
was on everything Potiphar had,
00:26:35.39\00:26:36.86
both in the house
00:26:36.96\00:26:37.66
and in the field.
00:26:37.76\00:26:38.76
So he left in Joseph's care
00:26:38.86\00:26:40.43
everything he had.
00:26:40.53\00:26:41.90
With Joseph in charge, he did
00:26:42.00\00:26:43.00
not concern himself with
00:26:43.10\00:26:44.90
anything except the food
00:26:45.00\00:26:46.27
he ate."
00:26:46.37\00:26:47.34
So everything's going peachy
00:26:47.44\00:26:48.34
keen, this looks really,
00:26:48.44\00:26:49.20
really good until...
00:26:49.30\00:26:53.04
"Now, Joseph was well built
00:26:53.14\00:26:54.84
and handsome, and after a while,
00:26:54.94\00:26:57.08
his master's wife took notice of
00:26:57.18\00:26:58.95
Joseph and said, 'Come to bed
00:26:59.05\00:27:00.45
with me.'
00:27:00.55\00:27:02.28
But he refused.
00:27:02.38\00:27:05.15
'With me in charge,'
00:27:05.25\00:27:06.09
he told her, 'my master
00:27:06.19\00:27:07.16
does not concern himself
00:27:07.26\00:27:08.26
with anything in the house.
00:27:08.36\00:27:09.36
Everything he owns,
00:27:09.46\00:27:10.49
he has entrusted to my care.
00:27:10.59\00:27:12.09
No one is greater in this house
00:27:12.19\00:27:13.56
than I am.
00:27:13.66\00:27:14.93
My master has withheld nothing
00:27:15.00\00:27:16.13
from me except you
00:27:16.23\00:27:17.33
because you are his wife.'"
00:27:17.43\00:27:18.70
And then notice this.
00:27:18.80\00:27:20.07
"'How then could I do
00:27:20.17\00:27:21.64
such a wicked thing
00:27:21.74\00:27:23.20
and sin against'"...
00:27:23.30\00:27:26.88
Potiphar?
00:27:26.98\00:27:29.94
Potiphar's wife?
00:27:30.05\00:27:32.95
His family's legacy?
00:27:33.05\00:27:35.95
No.
00:27:36.05\00:27:37.99
"'How could I do this wicked
00:27:38.09\00:27:39.49
thing and sin against God?'"
00:27:39.59\00:27:43.09
What is happening here?
00:27:46.19\00:27:48.40
So often, I mean, again,
00:27:48.50\00:27:49.86
the story is rich, I understand.
00:27:49.96\00:27:51.13
People are drawing all kinds of
00:27:51.23\00:27:52.13
different lessons from it when
00:27:52.23\00:27:53.34
they preach or teach through
00:27:53.44\00:27:54.74
this thing, but do we forget
00:27:54.84\00:27:56.14
where Joseph just came from?
00:27:56.24\00:27:57.84
I mean, it's not like this
00:27:57.94\00:27:59.77
doesn't have a context here.
00:27:59.87\00:28:01.41
How has Joseph,
00:28:01.51\00:28:03.98
how could he possibly go from
00:28:04.08\00:28:06.18
from being completely justified,
00:28:06.28\00:28:08.02
filled with terror by
00:28:08.12\00:28:09.48
being imprisoned by his brothers
00:28:09.58\00:28:10.79
and then being sold as a slave,
00:28:10.89\00:28:12.15
how could he go from
00:28:12.25\00:28:13.25
the temptations to run away
00:28:13.36\00:28:14.69
from his brothers and God
00:28:14.79\00:28:15.86
and all of it to this?
00:28:15.96\00:28:20.73
Where he staunchly
00:28:20.83\00:28:22.40
and passionately stands for God.
00:28:22.50\00:28:26.10
Let's play this out
00:28:26.20\00:28:27.30
a little bit here.
00:28:27.40\00:28:28.47
So many people, when they
00:28:28.57\00:28:29.94
run away, when they run away
00:28:30.04\00:28:31.24
from the harms of the past,
00:28:31.34\00:28:32.51
they run to drugs,
00:28:32.61\00:28:33.94
alcohol, and sex.
00:28:34.04\00:28:36.78
It's kind of standard operating
00:28:36.88\00:28:37.71
procedure for humanity.
00:28:37.81\00:28:39.95
But Joseph, even though this,
00:28:40.05\00:28:41.32
quote, "golden opportunity" has
00:28:41.42\00:28:42.48
presented itself -- I mean,
00:28:42.58\00:28:43.59
think of what could have gone
00:28:43.69\00:28:44.55
through his mind.
00:28:44.65\00:28:45.32
"Ah, I deserve this
00:28:45.42\00:28:46.35
after all the terrible pain
00:28:46.45\00:28:47.49
that I've been through.
00:28:47.59\00:28:48.56
You know, this is my comfort
00:28:48.66\00:28:50.16
here, and no one will ever know.
00:28:50.26\00:28:51.66
I am the head of the household.
00:28:51.76\00:28:52.79
I can cover all of this up."
00:28:52.89\00:28:56.03
In spite of this, quote,
00:28:56.13\00:28:57.30
"golden opportunity,"
00:28:57.40\00:28:59.43
Joseph does not do it,
00:28:59.53\00:29:01.44
even after the harm
00:29:01.54\00:29:03.00
he experienced in the past.
00:29:03.10\00:29:04.94
How come? Why doesn't he do it?
00:29:05.04\00:29:07.51
The only explanation
00:29:12.35\00:29:13.65
for Joseph's now adamant
00:29:13.75\00:29:15.55
and passionate loyalty to God
00:29:15.65\00:29:17.45
that makes any sense
00:29:17.55\00:29:19.79
is that Joseph, at some point,
00:29:19.89\00:29:22.36
between being sold as a slave
00:29:22.46\00:29:24.03
by his brothers and being
00:29:24.13\00:29:25.49
in Potiphar's household,
00:29:25.59\00:29:27.30
Joseph has made some decisions.
00:29:27.40\00:29:31.83
And in fact, we find that Joseph
00:29:31.93\00:29:33.44
had begun, with God's help,
00:29:33.54\00:29:34.97
the first task in disarming
00:29:35.07\00:29:37.64
the shadow of past harms.
00:29:37.74\00:29:41.31
The first task in stopping
00:29:41.41\00:29:43.95
running from the past,
00:29:44.05\00:29:45.91
the first task in disarming
00:29:46.01\00:29:48.25
the harm of the past
00:29:48.35\00:29:50.09
is this -- to forgive.
00:29:50.19\00:29:54.72
To forgive.
00:29:54.82\00:29:59.03
And I can guess what some of you
00:29:59.13\00:30:00.16
are thinking.
00:30:00.26\00:30:02.03
"Uh, first task?
00:30:02.13\00:30:04.60
I mean, aren't there some other
00:30:04.70\00:30:05.83
things that are supposed to come
00:30:05.93\00:30:06.70
first?
00:30:06.80\00:30:07.44
I mean, maybe down the line
00:30:07.54\00:30:08.24
somewhere.
00:30:08.34\00:30:09.04
I mean, the first task in
00:30:09.14\00:30:09.77
there?"
00:30:09.87\00:30:11.94
So let me quickly clarify.
00:30:12.04\00:30:15.31
This command is not
00:30:15.41\00:30:16.64
an isolated one.
00:30:16.75\00:30:18.65
God here does say
00:30:18.75\00:30:19.71
that we need to forgive.
00:30:19.81\00:30:21.05
Let me just put one example here
00:30:21.15\00:30:21.85
up on the screen.
00:30:21.95\00:30:22.58
Colossians 3:13.
00:30:22.68\00:30:24.09
It's a command.
00:30:27.06\00:30:28.29
"Forgive as the Lord forgave
00:30:28.39\00:30:29.09
you."
00:30:29.19\00:30:29.82
This sounds very similar to
00:30:29.92\00:30:31.19
the Lord's Prayer, does it not?
00:30:31.29\00:30:32.79
You know, "Lord,
00:30:32.89\00:30:33.86
forgive us our debts,
00:30:33.96\00:30:34.83
as we forgive our debtors.
00:30:34.93\00:30:35.80
Forgive us our trespasses
00:30:35.90\00:30:36.83
as we forgive those
00:30:36.93\00:30:37.77
that trespass against us here."
00:30:37.87\00:30:39.47
This is not an unusual thing.
00:30:39.57\00:30:40.84
God is asking this,
00:30:40.94\00:30:42.44
that we forgive
00:30:42.54\00:30:44.01
even those who have harmed us.
00:30:44.11\00:30:45.61
And I understand immediately
00:30:45.71\00:30:47.61
people get nervous because
00:30:47.71\00:30:49.01
they think this is too quick.
00:30:49.11\00:30:49.88
So understand
00:30:49.98\00:30:51.35
what biblical forgiveness is.
00:30:51.45\00:30:56.62
Biblically speaking,
00:30:56.72\00:30:58.02
to forgive someone
00:30:58.12\00:30:59.39
who harmed us means that,
00:30:59.49\00:31:01.02
by God's grace and our decision,
00:31:01.12\00:31:02.89
we come to the place where we
00:31:02.99\00:31:04.29
can honestly say three things.
00:31:04.39\00:31:06.53
Biblical forgiveness
00:31:20.88\00:31:22.31
does not mean,
00:31:22.41\00:31:24.55
"Oh, what you did to me?
00:31:24.65\00:31:25.41
Oh, that was nothing.
00:31:25.51\00:31:26.11
Don't worry about it."
00:31:26.21\00:31:27.98
Biblical forgiveness
00:31:28.08\00:31:28.98
does not mean that it's okay
00:31:29.08\00:31:30.29
what happened to you,
00:31:30.39\00:31:31.09
the harm in the past.
00:31:31.19\00:31:32.32
Biblical forgiveness
00:31:32.42\00:31:33.25
does not mean
00:31:33.36\00:31:34.49
that the person who harmed you
00:31:34.59\00:31:35.79
is free to do it all over again.
00:31:35.89\00:31:37.56
No.
00:31:37.66\00:31:39.29
Biblical forgiveness instead
00:31:39.39\00:31:42.56
means that, by God's grace,
00:31:42.66\00:31:44.03
we come to the place
00:31:44.13\00:31:45.13
where we can honestly say
00:31:45.23\00:31:46.80
it happened and it mattered,
00:31:46.90\00:31:49.90
and I release you.
00:31:50.01\00:31:52.17
You know, we can see
00:31:52.27\00:31:54.24
the first two parts of this --
00:31:54.34\00:31:55.38
it happened and it mattered --
00:31:55.48\00:31:56.51
clearly here in the story
00:31:56.61\00:31:57.38
of Joseph.
00:31:57.48\00:31:58.25
"Patriarchs and Prophets,"
00:31:58.35\00:31:59.18
page 213.
00:31:59.28\00:31:59.85
Let me just put
00:31:59.95\00:32:00.82
this up here for you.
00:32:00.92\00:32:02.22
She says, "Meanwhile,
00:32:02.32\00:32:03.39
Joseph with his captors,
00:32:03.49\00:32:04.65
was on the way to Egypt."
00:32:04.75\00:32:05.89
So this is a little bit earlier
00:32:05.99\00:32:06.59
in the story.
00:32:06.69\00:32:07.59
"As the caravan journeyed
00:32:07.69\00:32:08.92
southward toward the borders
00:32:09.02\00:32:09.86
of Canaan,
00:32:09.96\00:32:10.53
the boy could discern
00:32:10.63\00:32:11.99
in the distance the hills among
00:32:12.09\00:32:13.96
which lay his father's tents."
00:32:14.03\00:32:15.33
Can you imagine?
00:32:15.43\00:32:16.60
I mean, he can see all of it.
00:32:16.70\00:32:17.83
He is leaving home.
00:32:17.93\00:32:20.90
"Bitterly he wept at the thought
00:32:21.00\00:32:22.20
of that loving father in
00:32:22.30\00:32:23.47
his loneliness and affliction.
00:32:23.57\00:32:24.81
Again the scene at Dothan
00:32:24.91\00:32:26.07
came up before him.
00:32:26.17\00:32:27.14
He saw his angry brothers
00:32:27.24\00:32:28.64
and felt their fierce glances
00:32:28.74\00:32:29.71
bent upon him.
00:32:29.81\00:32:30.88
The stinging, insulting words
00:32:30.98\00:32:32.05
that had met
00:32:32.15\00:32:32.71
his agonized entreaties
00:32:32.81\00:32:33.95
were ringing in his ears.
00:32:34.05\00:32:35.38
With a trembling heart,
00:32:35.48\00:32:36.28
he looked to the future.
00:32:36.38\00:32:37.95
What a change in situation --
00:32:38.05\00:32:39.85
from the tenderly cherished son
00:32:39.95\00:32:41.12
to the despised and helpless
00:32:41.22\00:32:42.02
slave!
00:32:42.12\00:32:42.86
Alone and friendless.
00:32:42.96\00:32:44.29
what would be his lot
00:32:44.39\00:32:45.49
in the strange land
00:32:45.59\00:32:46.53
to which he was going?"
00:32:46.63\00:32:47.46
And notice this.
00:32:47.56\00:32:48.96
"For a time, Joseph gave himself
00:32:49.06\00:32:51.07
up to uncontrolled grief
00:32:51.17\00:32:52.63
and terror."
00:32:52.73\00:32:57.04
In other words, Joseph is saying
00:32:57.14\00:33:00.78
it happened and it mattered.
00:33:00.88\00:33:04.58
It was wrong.
00:33:04.68\00:33:06.48
It shouldn't have been that way.
00:33:06.58\00:33:10.42
Joseph, by far, is not the only
00:33:10.52\00:33:12.35
one that does this in the Bible.
00:33:12.45\00:33:14.02
The psalmist, David.
00:33:14.12\00:33:15.09
Have you ever wondered why
00:33:15.19\00:33:16.26
certain Psalms were in
00:33:16.36\00:33:17.36
the Bible?
00:33:17.46\00:33:18.56
You know, sometimes they're
00:33:18.66\00:33:20.16
called the Imprecatory Psalms.
00:33:20.26\00:33:21.73
Okay, there's -- I mean,
00:33:21.83\00:33:22.86
it's pretty hardcore stuff
00:33:22.96\00:33:23.93
that David is railing
00:33:24.03\00:33:25.80
against this evil in his life.
00:33:25.90\00:33:27.67
Let me just give you one
00:33:27.77\00:33:28.74
example here.
00:33:28.84\00:33:29.37
Psalm 22:1, 2, 12-17.
00:33:29.47\00:33:32.71
Famous words here.
00:33:32.81\00:33:34.18
Now, we don't know exactly
00:34:20.06\00:34:21.06
what the harm was
00:34:21.16\00:34:22.19
that had been done to David,
00:34:22.29\00:34:23.63
but he is most definitely
00:34:23.73\00:34:24.93
pointing out it happened
00:34:25.03\00:34:26.76
and it mattered.
00:34:26.86\00:34:29.33
And those of you with
00:34:29.43\00:34:30.50
long experience in Scripture,
00:34:30.60\00:34:31.87
you know that these are not just
00:34:31.97\00:34:32.90
the words of David.
00:34:33.00\00:34:35.24
These are also the words
00:34:35.34\00:34:36.77
of Jesus Christ on the cross.
00:34:36.87\00:34:38.87
In fact, there are many scholars
00:34:38.97\00:34:40.08
that believe that Jesus,
00:34:40.18\00:34:40.98
while on the cross,
00:34:41.08\00:34:42.61
actually recited, both verbally
00:34:42.71\00:34:44.75
and sometimes inwardly,
00:34:44.85\00:34:46.25
the entire chapter of Psalm 22.
00:34:46.35\00:34:49.88
And why does he do it?
00:34:49.98\00:34:52.45
Well, I think the lesson
00:34:52.55\00:34:53.32
is crystal clear.
00:34:53.42\00:34:54.79
Even God Himself acknowledges
00:34:54.89\00:34:57.03
the past.
00:34:57.13\00:34:58.83
Even God Himself, Jesus Christ,
00:34:58.93\00:35:00.76
acknowledges that what happened,
00:35:00.86\00:35:02.00
it mattered, it was wrong,
00:35:02.10\00:35:03.37
it should not have been
00:35:03.47\00:35:04.37
that way.
00:35:04.47\00:35:06.80
And all of this is being said
00:35:06.90\00:35:09.24
and done while firmly
00:35:09.34\00:35:10.81
on the road to forgiving.
00:35:10.91\00:35:14.08
And why is this?
00:35:16.95\00:35:19.61
Why must the process
00:35:19.71\00:35:20.95
of forgiveness include
00:35:21.05\00:35:22.75
acknowledging the past harm
00:35:22.85\00:35:24.39
in its full extent?
00:35:24.49\00:35:27.29
You know, the answer
00:35:27.39\00:35:28.76
is actually simple.
00:35:28.86\00:35:31.99
It's because forgiveness
00:35:32.09\00:35:33.33
means nothing unless it matches
00:35:33.43\00:35:36.36
the magnitude of the sin.
00:35:36.46\00:35:40.30
Forgiveness means nothing
00:35:40.40\00:35:41.90
unless it matches
00:35:42.00\00:35:43.27
the magnitude of the sin.
00:35:43.37\00:35:46.47
There is no half-price sale
00:35:46.57\00:35:47.68
on forgiveness.
00:35:47.78\00:35:49.98
Just as we talked about
00:35:50.08\00:35:51.11
in part two, any amends
00:35:51.21\00:35:53.05
that we must make, it
00:35:53.15\00:35:54.45
must fit the sin that we have
00:35:54.55\00:35:55.78
committed against somebody else.
00:35:55.88\00:35:56.92
So forgiveness of someone
00:35:57.02\00:35:58.49
who harmed us can only fit
00:35:58.59\00:36:01.09
the sin that was actually done.
00:36:01.19\00:36:04.46
And consequently, when it comes
00:36:04.56\00:36:06.23
to we human beings,
00:36:06.33\00:36:07.93
those who, for instance,
00:36:08.00\00:36:09.00
immediately, upon being deeply
00:36:09.10\00:36:10.53
harmed, proclaim forgiveness
00:36:10.63\00:36:11.90
for their enemy,
00:36:12.00\00:36:13.03
almost certainly have given
00:36:13.13\00:36:14.67
a forgiveness that means little
00:36:14.77\00:36:16.27
and will not last,
00:36:16.37\00:36:17.87
for it does not acknowledge
00:36:17.97\00:36:19.01
the true cost of that
00:36:19.11\00:36:20.48
which was broken in their lives.
00:36:20.58\00:36:24.01
So when it comes to the task
00:36:24.11\00:36:26.38
of forgiving true harms,
00:36:26.48\00:36:29.32
there nearly always must be time
00:36:29.42\00:36:32.02
for mourning, for wailing,
00:36:32.12\00:36:33.79
for weeping, for anger.
00:36:33.89\00:36:36.32
For only then can we know
00:36:36.42\00:36:38.13
what forgiveness is even for.
00:36:38.23\00:36:41.43
Only then can our forgiveness
00:36:41.53\00:36:42.96
of a perpetrator of real
00:36:43.06\00:36:44.43
harm actually have meaning.
00:36:44.53\00:36:50.17
I think this is why,
00:36:50.27\00:36:51.67
at least in my experience,
00:36:51.77\00:36:53.68
some of the most troubled
00:36:53.78\00:36:54.78
Christians are those who do not
00:36:54.88\00:36:56.31
take seriously the first steps
00:36:56.41\00:36:57.81
of the task of forgiveness.
00:36:57.91\00:36:59.78
They don't acknowledge
00:36:59.88\00:37:00.75
that it happened.
00:37:00.85\00:37:01.38
They don't acknowledge
00:37:01.48\00:37:01.98
that it mattered.
00:37:02.08\00:37:02.38
Instead,
00:37:02.48\00:37:03.12
they stuffed their feelings.
00:37:03.22\00:37:04.09
They pretend it never happened.
00:37:04.19\00:37:05.35
They don't talk about it.
00:37:05.45\00:37:06.19
They don't cry about it.
00:37:06.29\00:37:07.06
They don't acknowledge it,
00:37:07.16\00:37:07.82
hoping that maybe if they
00:37:07.92\00:37:09.02
ignore it, it will just go away.
00:37:09.12\00:37:12.23
But you cannot run away
00:37:12.33\00:37:14.60
from who you are.
00:37:14.73\00:37:17.37
And for many of us, part of who
00:37:17.47\00:37:19.10
we are is that harmful event,
00:37:19.20\00:37:22.30
that painful memory.
00:37:22.40\00:37:25.91
And part of finding God's
00:37:26.01\00:37:27.11
freedom is to acknowledge
00:37:27.21\00:37:29.74
that it happened and that, yes,
00:37:29.84\00:37:32.08
it mattered an awful lot.
00:37:32.18\00:37:35.72
Only then can forgiveness
00:37:35.82\00:37:37.95
do fully what God intends
00:37:38.05\00:37:39.79
for it to do.
00:37:39.89\00:37:44.43
Speaking of,
00:37:44.53\00:37:46.46
let's check back in with Joseph.
00:37:46.56\00:37:48.50
The next part of
00:37:48.60\00:37:50.00
Joseph's life is difficult.
00:37:50.10\00:37:51.37
The whole kerfuffle with
00:37:51.47\00:37:53.10
Potiphar's wife
00:37:53.20\00:37:54.57
lands him in jail.
00:37:54.67\00:37:55.80
But God blesses him,
00:37:55.90\00:37:56.87
and Joseph essentially becomes
00:37:56.97\00:37:58.04
in charge of the jail.
00:37:58.14\00:37:59.07
And while
00:37:59.17\00:37:59.91
he's in charge of the jail,
00:38:00.08\00:38:01.01
there are some dreams that two
00:38:01.11\00:38:02.14
of the courtiers
00:38:02.24\00:38:03.61
from Pharaoh's court have.
00:38:03.71\00:38:05.41
The interpretation is
00:38:05.51\00:38:07.28
given to Joseph.
00:38:07.38\00:38:08.65
He tells them about it.
00:38:08.75\00:38:09.78
They are -- Well, one of them,
00:38:09.88\00:38:10.82
at least, is thrilled.
00:38:10.92\00:38:11.92
Reputation travels.
00:38:12.02\00:38:13.29
Pharaoh himself
00:38:13.39\00:38:14.56
is given a dream,
00:38:14.66\00:38:16.19
and it predicted that there
00:38:16.29\00:38:16.99
would be seven years
00:38:17.09\00:38:18.56
of fullness in the crops,
00:38:18.66\00:38:20.93
et cetera, followed by
00:38:21.00\00:38:22.10
seven years of famine.
00:38:22.20\00:38:24.03
He doesn't understand the dream,
00:38:24.13\00:38:24.73
though.
00:38:24.83\00:38:25.50
Joseph's reputation
00:38:25.60\00:38:26.60
comes to the court,
00:38:26.70\00:38:27.84
Joseph comes to the court.
00:38:27.94\00:38:29.14
By the grace of God, he rightly
00:38:29.24\00:38:30.51
interprets this dream,
00:38:30.61\00:38:32.94
and Joseph is elevated to be
00:38:33.04\00:38:34.58
second in command of all Egypt.
00:38:34.68\00:38:37.71
The seven years of plenty come.
00:38:37.81\00:38:39.38
Two years into the seven years
00:38:39.48\00:38:40.88
of famine, guess who shows up in
00:38:40.98\00:38:42.62
Egypt to try to find some food.
00:38:42.72\00:38:44.65
It's Joseph's brothers,
00:38:44.75\00:38:47.02
the very perpetrators
00:38:47.12\00:38:49.02
of the harm against him.
00:38:49.12\00:38:51.76
There's a series of meetings
00:38:51.86\00:38:52.69
that takes place.
00:38:52.79\00:38:53.76
Again, it's fertile ground
00:38:53.86\00:38:54.83
for all kinds of study there.
00:38:54.93\00:38:56.70
But would you take a look,
00:38:56.80\00:38:57.57
please, at Genesis 45,
00:38:57.67\00:38:59.60
beginning with verse 4.
00:38:59.70\00:39:01.30
Page 33, Genesis 45,
00:39:01.40\00:39:04.94
beginning with verse 4.
00:39:05.04\00:39:07.28
On what would be the final
00:39:07.38\00:39:08.61
visit with his brothers,
00:39:08.71\00:39:11.05
at least while Joseph was still,
00:39:11.15\00:39:13.42
you know, not recognized
00:39:13.52\00:39:14.78
by his brothers,
00:39:14.88\00:39:16.48
Joseph now feels that the time
00:39:16.58\00:39:17.69
has come.
00:39:17.79\00:39:18.49
He is going to reveal himself,
00:39:18.59\00:39:20.42
and notice what he says.
00:39:20.52\00:39:22.62
It tells us that somewhere
00:39:22.72\00:39:25.23
prior to this point,
00:39:25.33\00:39:26.93
Joseph had taken
00:39:27.03\00:39:28.76
that final step of forgiveness.
00:39:28.86\00:39:32.00
He had not only recognized
00:39:32.10\00:39:33.13
that it happened
00:39:33.23\00:39:34.10
and that it mattered,
00:39:34.20\00:39:35.40
but now he had released
00:39:35.50\00:39:37.74
his brothers, as well.
00:39:37.84\00:39:39.97
Let's read carefully here.
00:39:40.08\00:39:40.88
Begriming in verse 4.
00:39:40.98\00:39:42.01
"Then Joseph said to his
00:39:42.11\00:39:43.14
brothers, 'Come close to me.'
00:39:43.24\00:39:47.02
When they had done so, he said,
00:39:47.12\00:39:49.12
'I am your brother, Joseph,
00:39:49.22\00:39:52.55
the one you sold into Egypt.
00:39:52.65\00:39:55.42
And now do not be distressed,
00:39:55.52\00:39:59.56
and do not be angry with
00:39:59.66\00:40:01.60
yourselves for selling me here,
00:40:01.70\00:40:03.40
because it was to save lives
00:40:03.50\00:40:04.83
that God sent me ahead of you.
00:40:04.93\00:40:06.40
For two years now, there
00:40:06.50\00:40:07.44
has been famine in the land,
00:40:07.54\00:40:08.64
and for the next five years
00:40:08.74\00:40:09.64
there will not be plowing
00:40:09.74\00:40:10.34
and reaping.
00:40:10.44\00:40:11.34
But God sent me ahead of you
00:40:11.44\00:40:12.61
to preserve for you
00:40:12.71\00:40:13.74
a remnant on Earth,
00:40:13.84\00:40:14.94
and to save your lives
00:40:15.04\00:40:16.04
by a great deliverance.'"
00:40:16.14\00:40:17.28
Verse 5 again.
00:40:17.38\00:40:18.95
"'And now do not be distressed,
00:40:19.05\00:40:22.32
and do not be angry
00:40:22.42\00:40:24.75
with yourselves.'"
00:40:24.85\00:40:27.39
[ Chuckles ]
00:40:27.49\00:40:28.79
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:40:28.89\00:40:29.92
these are not the words
00:40:30.03\00:40:31.09
of someone who is still hanging
00:40:31.19\00:40:32.46
on to past harms.
00:40:32.56\00:40:34.40
This is the language of release.
00:40:34.50\00:40:37.90
Joseph has emotionally
00:40:38.00\00:40:39.13
and spiritually
00:40:39.23\00:40:40.24
released his brothers.
00:40:40.34\00:40:41.47
In other words,
00:40:41.57\00:40:42.84
he had forgiven them.
00:40:42.94\00:40:47.71
There's all kinds of good
00:40:47.81\00:40:48.51
reasons for why
00:40:48.61\00:40:49.58
Joseph would have done so,
00:40:49.68\00:40:51.38
but perhaps one of the most
00:40:51.48\00:40:52.58
basic is that he realized
00:40:52.68\00:40:54.12
a fundamental fact
00:40:54.22\00:40:55.58
of human existence.
00:40:55.68\00:40:58.35
After we have sufficiently
00:40:58.45\00:40:59.75
grieved the loss
00:40:59.85\00:41:01.22
that the harm caused us,
00:41:01.32\00:41:03.66
the only one who is harmed by us
00:41:03.76\00:41:05.66
continuing to hang on
00:41:05.76\00:41:07.00
to this thing is us.
00:41:07.10\00:41:09.50
We are the ones who suffer
00:41:09.60\00:41:11.63
when we hang on
00:41:11.73\00:41:12.63
to the harms of the past.
00:41:12.73\00:41:14.20
It's our blood pressure
00:41:14.30\00:41:15.47
that's being raised, not that of
00:41:15.57\00:41:16.74
those that harmed us.
00:41:16.84\00:41:18.31
It's our stress levels
00:41:18.41\00:41:19.71
that are elevated, not theirs.
00:41:19.81\00:41:21.81
If we do not release
00:41:21.91\00:41:23.35
those who have harmed us,
00:41:23.45\00:41:24.48
they are still living rent
00:41:24.58\00:41:25.88
free in our minds,
00:41:25.98\00:41:27.28
controlling our thoughts,
00:41:27.38\00:41:28.32
shaping our destinies.
00:41:28.42\00:41:29.78
And get this,
00:41:29.88\00:41:30.89
they can even be dead.
00:41:30.99\00:41:34.22
For decades.
00:41:34.32\00:41:36.49
The harm they committed long ago
00:41:36.59\00:41:38.39
while they were still alive.
00:41:38.49\00:41:39.23
Now they're dead.
00:41:39.33\00:41:39.96
They've lain in the grave.
00:41:40.06\00:41:40.86
But if we do not release,
00:41:40.96\00:41:44.03
they will still be exercising
00:41:44.13\00:41:46.84
an influence in our lives
00:41:46.94\00:41:48.70
for bad and not for good.
00:41:48.80\00:41:52.81
But when we release them,
00:41:52.91\00:41:56.81
their control over us is over.
00:41:56.91\00:42:00.68
When we release them,
00:42:00.78\00:42:02.22
their power over us is broken
00:42:02.32\00:42:05.12
and we do not have to be slaves
00:42:05.22\00:42:06.89
to that memory and pain
00:42:06.99\00:42:07.89
any longer.
00:42:07.99\00:42:09.96
Surely this is why
00:42:10.06\00:42:10.96
Jesus commands us to forgive.
00:42:11.06\00:42:12.43
It's not a suggestion.
00:42:12.53\00:42:13.40
It's not like a gentle tip
00:42:13.50\00:42:14.36
for how to live life better.
00:42:14.46\00:42:15.33
Jesus commands us to forgive,
00:42:15.43\00:42:16.97
because when we forgive,
00:42:17.07\00:42:18.30
not only are others released,
00:42:18.40\00:42:19.77
but so are we.
00:42:19.87\00:42:22.70
Oh, the freedom we find
00:42:22.80\00:42:24.61
when we forgive.
00:42:24.71\00:42:27.68
It's the first task
00:42:27.78\00:42:29.74
that is necessary to enable us
00:42:29.84\00:42:31.21
to stop running from our past,
00:42:31.31\00:42:33.78
and it is this first task that
00:42:33.88\00:42:36.25
makes us ready for the second.
00:42:36.35\00:42:39.59
Genesis chapter 50, please.
00:42:39.69\00:42:41.39
5-0, Genesis 50:15, page 37
00:42:41.49\00:42:44.89
in your red Bible.
00:42:44.99\00:42:47.50
Genesis chapter 50.
00:42:47.60\00:42:49.80
Begin with verse 15.
00:42:49.90\00:42:52.77
Joseph has revealed himself
00:42:52.87\00:42:54.40
to his brothers.
00:42:54.50\00:42:56.27
His father, Jacob, comes back
00:42:56.37\00:42:57.67
to Egypt, all of their families
00:42:57.77\00:42:58.81
and herds, et cetera, comes.
00:42:58.91\00:42:59.64
They settle in Egypt.
00:42:59.74\00:43:01.81
Jacob was already well along
00:43:01.91\00:43:04.01
in years when he comes to Egypt,
00:43:04.11\00:43:05.51
and it wasn't too long after
00:43:05.61\00:43:06.78
that that he does pass away.
00:43:06.88\00:43:08.92
And when he dies,
00:43:09.02\00:43:10.89
Joseph's brothers begin to doubt
00:43:10.99\00:43:14.52
that Joseph had actually
00:43:14.62\00:43:15.76
forgiven them.
00:43:15.86\00:43:17.56
It's where we join the story
00:43:17.66\00:43:18.53
here, verse 15.
00:43:18.63\00:43:19.56
"When Joseph's brothers
00:43:19.66\00:43:20.40
saw that their father was dead,
00:43:20.50\00:43:21.40
they said,
00:43:21.50\00:43:23.63
'What if Joseph holds a grudge
00:43:23.73\00:43:25.23
against us and pays us back
00:43:25.33\00:43:26.50
for all the wrongs
00:43:26.60\00:43:27.14
we did to him?'
00:43:27.24\00:43:28.80
So they sent word to Joseph,
00:43:28.90\00:43:30.11
saying, 'Your father left these
00:43:30.21\00:43:31.81
instructions before you died.'
00:43:31.91\00:43:33.14
Quote, 'This is what
00:43:33.24\00:43:33.98
you are to say to Joseph.
00:43:34.08\00:43:35.18
I ask you to forgive
00:43:35.28\00:43:36.31
your brothers the sins
00:43:36.41\00:43:37.45
and the wrongs they committed
00:43:37.55\00:43:38.58
in treating you so badly.
00:43:38.68\00:43:39.85
Now please forgive the sins
00:43:39.95\00:43:41.42
of the servants of the God
00:43:41.52\00:43:42.52
of your father.'
00:43:42.62\00:43:45.92
When their message came to him,
00:43:46.02\00:43:47.46
Joseph wept.
00:43:47.56\00:43:51.36
His brothers then came and threw
00:43:51.46\00:43:52.49
themselves down before him.
00:43:52.59\00:43:54.20
'We are your slaves,' they said.
00:43:54.30\00:43:56.93
But Joseph said to them,
00:43:57.03\00:43:58.37
'Don't be afraid.
00:43:58.47\00:44:00.47
Am I in the place of God?
00:44:00.57\00:44:02.87
You intended to harm me,
00:44:02.97\00:44:04.51
but God intended it
00:44:04.61\00:44:05.64
for good to accomplish
00:44:05.74\00:44:06.71
what is now being done,
00:44:06.81\00:44:07.78
the saving of many lives.
00:44:07.88\00:44:09.64
So, then, don't be afraid.
00:44:09.74\00:44:12.98
I will provide for you
00:44:13.08\00:44:15.92
and your children.'
00:44:16.02\00:44:18.25
And he reassured them
00:44:18.35\00:44:20.16
and spoke kindly to them."
00:44:20.26\00:44:24.36
The first task, as we said,
00:44:24.46\00:44:28.26
in stopping running
00:44:28.36\00:44:29.63
from the past and disarming
00:44:29.73\00:44:31.00
the shadow of past harms
00:44:31.10\00:44:33.03
was to forgive.
00:44:33.13\00:44:35.20
The second task is to love.
00:44:35.30\00:44:38.37
This is not my idea.
00:44:43.71\00:44:46.82
The first time that I heard
00:44:46.92\00:44:47.78
about this, I was opposed.
00:44:47.88\00:44:51.52
You want me to love them?
00:44:51.62\00:44:54.02
It's bad enough that you're
00:44:54.12\00:44:54.92
asking me to forgive them.
00:44:55.02\00:44:56.02
Now you want me to love them,
00:44:56.12\00:44:56.66
as well?
00:44:56.76\00:44:59.56
So you should know
00:44:59.66\00:45:00.60
this is not my idea.
00:45:00.70\00:45:01.66
And it wasn't your idea either.
00:45:01.76\00:45:02.86
I'll just speak for you
00:45:02.96\00:45:03.70
on this regard, okay?
00:45:03.80\00:45:04.87
This is God's idea.
00:45:04.97\00:45:06.17
This is what Jesus says.
00:45:06.27\00:45:07.97
In fact, just to make sure
00:45:08.07\00:45:09.24
that we're all singing off the
00:45:09.34\00:45:10.04
same page here, Jesus said this.
00:45:10.14\00:45:10.94
Matthew 5:43-47.
00:45:11.04\00:45:13.31
"You have heard that it was
00:45:13.41\00:45:14.34
said, 'Love your neighbor'
00:45:14.44\00:45:15.44
and 'Hate your enemy.'"
00:45:15.54\00:45:17.98
And all the world says, "Amen,"
00:45:18.08\00:45:18.81
right?
00:45:18.91\00:45:19.55
This is how we roll, right?
00:45:19.65\00:45:20.72
Love your neighbor,
00:45:20.82\00:45:21.25
hate your enemy.
00:45:21.35\00:45:21.98
"But I tell you,
00:45:22.08\00:45:23.65
love your enemies and pray
00:45:23.75\00:45:26.86
for those who persecute you,
00:45:26.96\00:45:28.29
that you may be sons
00:45:28.39\00:45:29.59
of your Father in heaven."
00:45:29.69\00:45:31.79
Wow.
00:45:31.89\00:45:34.36
You know, Ellen White, speaking
00:45:34.46\00:45:35.53
specifically of Genesis 50,
00:45:35.63\00:45:37.27
what we just read there, this is
00:45:37.37\00:45:38.60
"Patriarchs and Prophets,"
00:45:38.70\00:45:39.87
page 239.
00:45:39.97\00:45:41.20
She says, "Joseph's love
00:45:41.30\00:45:42.57
for his brothers" --
00:45:42.67\00:45:43.30
There's that word.
00:45:43.41\00:45:44.11
"Joseph's love for his brothers
00:45:44.21\00:45:45.81
was deep and unselfish,
00:45:45.91\00:45:47.61
and he was pained at the thought
00:45:47.71\00:45:48.94
that they could regard him
00:45:49.04\00:45:49.98
as cherishing a spirit
00:45:50.08\00:45:51.55
of revenge toward them."
00:45:51.65\00:45:52.61
In other words, he was pained
00:45:52.71\00:45:53.85
because he had forgiven them.
00:45:53.95\00:45:55.82
He really had.
00:45:55.92\00:45:57.35
"'Fear not,' he said;
00:45:57.45\00:45:58.95
'for am I in the place of God?
00:45:59.05\00:46:00.89
But as for you,
00:46:00.99\00:46:01.72
ye thought evil against me,
00:46:01.82\00:46:03.12
but God meant it unto good
00:46:03.22\00:46:04.53
to bring it to pass,
00:46:04.63\00:46:05.56
as it is this day,
00:46:05.66\00:46:06.59
to save much people alive.
00:46:06.70\00:46:08.33
Now therefore fear ye not;
00:46:08.43\00:46:09.93
I will nourish you
00:46:10.03\00:46:11.73
and your little ones.'"
00:46:11.83\00:46:14.54
Joseph had not only
00:46:14.64\00:46:15.90
forgiven them, he had
00:46:16.00\00:46:17.34
actually come to love them.
00:46:17.44\00:46:21.68
Now, please notice carefully.
00:46:21.78\00:46:23.98
To love those
00:46:24.08\00:46:26.98
who have harmed us does not mean
00:46:27.08\00:46:29.58
that we have to like them.
00:46:29.68\00:46:33.56
Jesus loved the Pharisees, but
00:46:33.66\00:46:35.46
he didn't go golfing with them.
00:46:35.56\00:46:37.43
Okay? To love those
00:46:37.53\00:46:39.53
who harmed us does not mean that
00:46:39.63\00:46:40.96
we trust those who harmed us.
00:46:41.06\00:46:43.93
Now, if a harmed relationship
00:46:44.03\00:46:45.43
repairs by the grace of God
00:46:45.53\00:46:46.90
to that point and to
00:46:47.00\00:46:47.90
the right healthy circumstances,
00:46:48.00\00:46:48.94
praise the Lord.
00:46:49.04\00:46:49.70
But it is by
00:46:49.80\00:46:50.41
no means a requirement.
00:46:50.51\00:46:51.67
Again, Jesus did not trust
00:46:51.77\00:46:53.41
the Pharisees. [ Chuckles ]
00:46:53.51\00:46:56.64
And as with forgiveness,
00:46:56.75\00:46:58.15
to love our enemies
00:46:58.25\00:46:59.31
does not mean in any way that
00:46:59.41\00:47:00.65
we condone what they did to us,
00:47:00.75\00:47:02.68
any more than Jesus condoned
00:47:02.78\00:47:04.19
the sins of those that He loved,
00:47:04.29\00:47:05.25
but who sinned greatly
00:47:05.35\00:47:06.02
against Him.
00:47:06.12\00:47:09.29
But to love those who have
00:47:09.39\00:47:11.76
harmed us does mean
00:47:11.86\00:47:13.86
that we come to the place
00:47:13.96\00:47:15.40
that we, as Jesus clearly says,
00:47:15.50\00:47:17.37
pray for them,
00:47:17.47\00:47:20.57
that we come to the place that
00:47:20.67\00:47:21.60
we want what is best for them,
00:47:21.70\00:47:24.21
that we come to the place
00:47:24.31\00:47:25.44
that we no longer wish them ill,
00:47:25.54\00:47:26.88
but instead pray
00:47:26.98\00:47:27.91
that they, too, will repent
00:47:28.01\00:47:29.28
and be in the kingdom of God.
00:47:29.38\00:47:31.75
To love those who harm --
00:47:31.85\00:47:32.88
who have harmed us,
00:47:32.98\00:47:33.72
as the Bible describes,
00:47:33.82\00:47:35.18
means that we come to the place
00:47:35.28\00:47:36.05
where we treat them,
00:47:36.15\00:47:36.82
either in person,
00:47:36.92\00:47:37.72
if that's appropriate --
00:47:37.82\00:47:38.45
sometimes it's not --
00:47:38.55\00:47:39.72
or at least just in our minds,
00:47:39.82\00:47:41.19
our attitudes toward them.
00:47:41.29\00:47:42.36
We come to the place
00:47:42.46\00:47:43.53
where we treat them as Jesus
00:47:43.63\00:47:44.73
treated his captors
00:47:44.83\00:47:46.06
on that crucifixion weekend.
00:47:46.16\00:47:49.36
And as for Joseph?
00:47:49.46\00:47:52.17
Well, Joseph, in coming to love
00:47:52.27\00:47:53.34
his brothers,
00:47:53.44\00:47:54.80
not only were his brothers
00:47:54.90\00:47:56.17
blessed by that,
00:47:56.27\00:47:58.17
but Joseph undoubtedly
00:47:58.27\00:47:59.51
came to see better how much
00:47:59.61\00:48:01.21
his heavenly Father loved him.
00:48:01.31\00:48:05.55
Behold the unfathomable
00:48:05.65\00:48:06.65
character of God
00:48:06.75\00:48:08.55
that he should lavish
00:48:08.65\00:48:09.52
forgiveness and love
00:48:09.62\00:48:11.05
on such undeserving creatures
00:48:11.15\00:48:12.59
as we.
00:48:12.69\00:48:14.02
And having been on this
00:48:18.83\00:48:19.89
journey myself,
00:48:20.00\00:48:22.43
I know what at least some of you
00:48:22.53\00:48:23.50
are thinking.
00:48:23.60\00:48:25.43
"You're crazy."
00:48:25.53\00:48:27.24
[ Laughter ]
00:48:27.34\00:48:28.64
"No way."
00:48:28.74\00:48:31.84
"Do you know what happened
00:48:31.94\00:48:32.87
back then, Pastor Shane?"
00:48:32.97\00:48:33.88
Well, I don't know specifically,
00:48:33.98\00:48:34.78
but I'll bet I can guess. Okay?
00:48:34.88\00:48:36.21
I've been around for a while.
00:48:36.31\00:48:37.05
Okay?
00:48:37.15\00:48:38.35
"You don't know what happened.
00:48:38.45\00:48:39.18
How could I possibly --
00:48:39.28\00:48:39.91
This is impossible.
00:48:40.02\00:48:40.95
Nobody can forgive
00:48:41.05\00:48:42.45
and love their enemies,
00:48:42.55\00:48:43.65
those that harm them."
00:48:43.75\00:48:45.02
To which I would say,
00:48:45.12\00:48:45.92
"You are absolutely right.
00:48:46.02\00:48:48.99
You can't do it. I can't do it.
00:48:49.09\00:48:51.36
So Jesus does it for us
00:48:51.46\00:48:54.23
if we are willing to ask for
00:48:54.36\00:48:55.90
and accept the gift."
00:48:56.00\00:49:00.54
A story.
00:49:00.64\00:49:03.81
Some of you are familiar
00:49:03.91\00:49:04.67
with a woman
00:49:04.77\00:49:07.11
by the name of Corrie ten Boom.
00:49:07.21\00:49:09.91
Corrie ten Boom, she is --
00:49:10.01\00:49:10.98
she's passed away.
00:49:11.08\00:49:12.38
She and her sister, Betsie,
00:49:12.48\00:49:14.52
were placed in concentration --
00:49:14.62\00:49:16.62
one of the concentration camps
00:49:16.72\00:49:17.65
in Nazi Germany
00:49:17.75\00:49:18.72
during World War II.
00:49:18.82\00:49:20.66
They were at Ravensbruck,
00:49:20.76\00:49:21.76
and Corrie's sister, Betsie,
00:49:21.86\00:49:24.83
died there in Ravensbruck.
00:49:24.93\00:49:27.30
Corrie wrote a couple of books
00:49:27.40\00:49:28.43
about her life experience,
00:49:28.53\00:49:29.76
including one called
00:49:29.86\00:49:31.03
"Tramp for the Lord,"
00:49:31.13\00:49:32.30
where she basically
00:49:32.40\00:49:33.70
tramped around Europe
00:49:33.80\00:49:34.64
telling her story and
00:49:34.74\00:49:36.44
talking about God's forgiveness,
00:49:36.54\00:49:37.71
and on one occasion,
00:49:37.81\00:49:39.37
she had a speaking appointment
00:49:39.47\00:49:40.64
in Germany.
00:49:40.74\00:49:43.78
And I'm going to read to you
00:49:43.88\00:49:45.01
here a couple of pages
00:49:45.11\00:49:47.45
from Corrie ten Boom's story.
00:49:47.55\00:49:50.42
She says, "It was 1947."
00:49:50.52\00:49:52.05
So two years
00:49:52.15\00:49:53.15
after the end of the war,
00:49:53.25\00:49:54.02
a year and a half, two years.
00:49:54.12\00:49:55.86
"And I'd come from Holland" --
00:49:55.96\00:49:57.13
that's where she lived --
00:49:57.23\00:49:57.99
"to defeated Germany with
00:49:58.09\00:49:59.59
the message that God forgives.
00:49:59.69\00:50:01.86
It was the truth
00:50:01.96\00:50:02.90
that they needed most to hear
00:50:03.00\00:50:04.20
in that bitter, bombed-out land.
00:50:04.30\00:50:05.90
And I gave them my favorite
00:50:06.00\00:50:07.24
mental picture.
00:50:07.34\00:50:09.07
Maybe because the sea is never
00:50:09.17\00:50:10.51
far from a Hollander's mind,
00:50:10.61\00:50:12.17
I like to think that that's
00:50:12.27\00:50:13.58
where forgiven sins were thrown.
00:50:13.68\00:50:15.84
'When we confess our sins,'
00:50:15.94\00:50:17.51
I said, 'God casts them into
00:50:17.61\00:50:19.61
the deepest ocean, gone forever.
00:50:19.71\00:50:21.65
And even though I cannot
00:50:21.75\00:50:22.85
find a Scripture for it,
00:50:22.95\00:50:24.22
I believe God then places a sign
00:50:24.32\00:50:26.05
out there that says,
00:50:26.15\00:50:27.36
"No fishing allowed."'"
00:50:27.46\00:50:31.39
So she says this to
00:50:31.49\00:50:32.86
this group in Germany.
00:50:32.96\00:50:35.66
"The solemn faces stared back
00:50:35.76\00:50:36.83
at me,
00:50:36.93\00:50:37.70
not quite daring to believe.
00:50:37.80\00:50:41.24
And that's when I saw him
00:50:41.34\00:50:44.21
working his way
00:50:44.31\00:50:45.47
forward against the others."
00:50:45.57\00:50:46.81
So the meeting is finished now
00:50:46.91\00:50:47.91
and this man is making his way
00:50:48.01\00:50:49.01
forward.
00:50:49.11\00:50:50.21
"One moment, I saw his overcoat
00:50:50.31\00:50:51.91
and a brown hat.
00:50:52.01\00:50:53.35
The next, a blue uniform
00:50:53.45\00:50:56.05
and a cap with skull
00:50:56.15\00:50:57.42
and crossbones.
00:50:57.52\00:50:59.15
It came back
00:50:59.25\00:50:59.92
to my memory with a rush.
00:51:00.09\00:51:01.42
The huge room with its harsh
00:51:01.52\00:51:02.69
overhead lights,
00:51:02.79\00:51:03.99
the pathetic pile of dresses and
00:51:04.09\00:51:05.53
shoes in the center of the room,
00:51:05.63\00:51:07.00
the shame of walking naked
00:51:07.10\00:51:08.26
past this man.
00:51:08.36\00:51:09.76
I could see my sister's frail
00:51:09.86\00:51:11.40
form ahead of me, ribs sharp
00:51:11.50\00:51:13.64
beneath the parchment skin.
00:51:13.74\00:51:15.40
Betsie, how thin you were.
00:51:15.50\00:51:18.87
That place was Ravensbruck,
00:51:18.97\00:51:22.04
and the man who was making his
00:51:22.14\00:51:23.55
way forward had been a guard,
00:51:23.65\00:51:25.91
one of the most cruel guards.
00:51:26.01\00:51:29.75
Now he was in front of me,
00:51:29.85\00:51:31.99
hand thrust out.
00:51:32.09\00:51:34.19
'A fine message, fraulein.
00:51:34.29\00:51:35.99
How good it is to know that,
00:51:36.09\00:51:37.29
as you say, all our sins
00:51:37.39\00:51:39.36
are at the bottom of the sea.'
00:51:39.46\00:51:42.80
And I, who had spoken
00:51:42.90\00:51:43.97
so glibly of forgiveness,
00:51:44.07\00:51:45.53
fumbled in my pocketbook
00:51:45.63\00:51:46.97
rather than take that hand.
00:51:47.07\00:51:49.17
He would not remember me,
00:51:49.27\00:51:50.21
of course.
00:51:50.31\00:51:50.71
How could
00:51:50.81\00:51:51.41
he remember one prisoner
00:51:51.51\00:51:52.54
among those thousands of women?
00:51:52.64\00:51:54.01
But I remembered him.
00:51:54.11\00:51:57.18
I was face to face
00:51:57.28\00:51:58.78
with one of my captors,
00:51:58.88\00:52:00.55
and my blood seemed to freeze.
00:52:00.65\00:52:04.92
'You mentioned Ravensbruck
00:52:05.02\00:52:06.19
in your talk,' he was saying.
00:52:06.29\00:52:07.79
'I was a guard there.'
00:52:07.89\00:52:10.29
No, he did not remember me.
00:52:10.39\00:52:12.79
'But since that time,' he went
00:52:12.89\00:52:14.83
on, 'I have become a Christian.'
00:52:14.93\00:52:16.90
I know that God has forgiven me
00:52:17.00\00:52:18.97
for the cruel things
00:52:19.07\00:52:19.83
I did there,
00:52:19.93\00:52:21.30
but I would like to hear it
00:52:21.40\00:52:22.57
from your lips, as well.
00:52:22.67\00:52:26.04
Fraulein,' again the hand
00:52:26.14\00:52:27.91
came out.
00:52:28.01\00:52:29.54
'Will you forgive me?'
00:52:29.64\00:52:35.65
And I stood there,
00:52:35.75\00:52:37.92
I, whose sins had again
00:52:38.02\00:52:39.32
and again been forgiven,
00:52:39.42\00:52:40.99
and I could not forgive.
00:52:41.09\00:52:44.93
Betsie had died in that place.
00:52:45.03\00:52:47.13
Could he erase her slow,
00:52:47.23\00:52:48.73
terrible death simply
00:52:48.83\00:52:49.83
for the asking?
00:52:49.93\00:52:51.83
It could have been many seconds
00:52:51.93\00:52:52.80
that he stood there,
00:52:52.90\00:52:53.70
hand held out, but to me,
00:52:53.80\00:52:55.20
it seemed hours as I wrestled
00:52:55.30\00:52:56.87
with the most difficult thing
00:52:56.97\00:52:58.61
I had ever had to do.
00:52:58.71\00:53:01.34
For I had to do it.
00:53:01.44\00:53:02.61
I knew that.
00:53:02.71\00:53:04.05
The message that God forgives
00:53:04.15\00:53:05.61
has a prior condition,
00:53:05.71\00:53:07.18
that we forgive those
00:53:07.28\00:53:08.52
who have injured us.
00:53:08.62\00:53:10.32
'If you do not forgive men
00:53:10.42\00:53:11.69
their trespasses,' Jesus says,
00:53:11.79\00:53:13.25
'neither will your father in
00:53:13.36\00:53:14.42
heaven forgive your trespasses.'
00:53:14.52\00:53:16.62
And I stood there
00:53:16.73\00:53:18.53
still with the coldness
00:53:18.63\00:53:20.30
clutching my heart.
00:53:20.40\00:53:23.67
But forgiveness
00:53:23.77\00:53:25.63
is not an emotion.
00:53:25.73\00:53:28.10
I knew that, too.
00:53:28.20\00:53:30.24
Forgiveness is an act
00:53:30.34\00:53:32.61
of the will,
00:53:32.71\00:53:34.18
and the will can function
00:53:34.28\00:53:35.71
regardless of the temperature
00:53:35.81\00:53:37.18
of the heart.
00:53:37.28\00:53:39.08
Jesus, help me,
00:53:39.18\00:53:40.88
I prayed silently.
00:53:40.98\00:53:42.22
I can lift my hand.
00:53:42.32\00:53:43.72
I can do that much.
00:53:43.82\00:53:45.15
You supply the feeling.
00:53:45.25\00:53:48.32
And, so, woodenly, mechanically,
00:53:48.42\00:53:53.43
I thrust out my hand into
00:53:53.53\00:53:56.30
the one stretched out to me,
00:53:56.40\00:53:59.03
and as I did,
00:53:59.13\00:54:00.50
an incredible thing took place.
00:54:00.60\00:54:03.14
The current started in my
00:54:03.24\00:54:04.51
shoulder, raced down my arm,
00:54:04.61\00:54:06.81
sprang into our joined hands,
00:54:06.91\00:54:09.88
and then this healing warmth
00:54:09.98\00:54:11.65
seemed to flood my whole being,
00:54:11.75\00:54:13.82
bringing tears to my eyes.
00:54:13.92\00:54:16.72
'I forgive you, brother,'
00:54:16.82\00:54:18.32
I cried, 'with all my heart.'
00:54:18.42\00:54:22.72
For a long moment, we grasped
00:54:22.82\00:54:25.06
each other's hands,
00:54:25.16\00:54:26.49
the former guard
00:54:26.59\00:54:28.20
and the former prisoner.
00:54:28.30\00:54:30.53
I had never known God's love
00:54:30.63\00:54:31.83
so intensely as I did then.
00:54:31.93\00:54:34.54
But even then, I realized
00:54:34.64\00:54:36.00
it was not my love.
00:54:36.10\00:54:38.37
I had tried,
00:54:38.47\00:54:40.51
and I did not have the power.
00:54:40.61\00:54:42.54
It was the power
00:54:42.64\00:54:44.85
of the Holy Spirit."
00:54:44.95\00:54:46.31
To forgive those who harmed us
00:54:50.35\00:54:55.02
is ultimately a decision,
00:54:55.12\00:54:58.66
a decision to let Jesus do in
00:54:58.76\00:55:01.03
and through us what we cannot
00:55:01.13\00:55:02.50
possibly do for ourselves.
00:55:02.60\00:55:05.17
And in the same way,
00:55:05.27\00:55:06.67
to love those who have harmed us
00:55:06.77\00:55:09.37
is ultimately a decision,
00:55:09.47\00:55:11.67
a decision to let Jesus do in
00:55:11.77\00:55:13.64
and through us what we cannot
00:55:13.74\00:55:15.04
possibly do for ourselves.
00:55:15.14\00:55:18.25
So I must ask you,
00:55:18.35\00:55:20.75
how is it with you today?
00:55:20.85\00:55:24.49
Have you forgiven those
00:55:24.59\00:55:25.59
who have harmed you in the past?
00:55:25.69\00:55:27.86
How are you doing with that
00:55:27.96\00:55:28.92
process of working through
00:55:29.02\00:55:30.36
those indispensable stages,
00:55:30.46\00:55:31.93
by Christ's power, to becoming
00:55:32.03\00:55:33.53
honestly able to say that
00:55:33.63\00:55:34.83
it happened and it mattered,
00:55:34.93\00:55:36.56
and I release you.
00:55:36.67\00:55:39.80
And how are you doing with
00:55:39.90\00:55:41.24
the decision to love those that
00:55:41.34\00:55:42.47
have harmed you in the past,
00:55:42.57\00:55:43.91
to forgive and to love?
00:55:44.01\00:55:48.21
You really can stop running
00:55:48.31\00:55:51.95
from your past.
00:55:52.05\00:55:55.05
And that stopping can start
00:55:55.15\00:55:57.65
right now.
00:55:57.75\00:55:59.75
For the promise of Jesus
00:55:59.85\00:56:01.19
still rings true.
00:56:01.29\00:56:03.32
Jesus said...
00:56:03.43\00:56:04.63
You really can stop running
00:56:23.41\00:56:26.41
because God really does have
00:56:26.51\00:56:28.65
great plans for your past.
00:56:28.75\00:56:31.89
[ Applause ]
00:56:31.99\00:56:34.19
>> Before you go, let me take
00:56:39.63\00:56:41.00
just a moment to share with you
00:56:41.10\00:56:42.10
an opportunity to get into
00:56:42.20\00:56:43.73
the Bible in a fresh, new way.
00:56:43.83\00:56:46.10
All across the world,
00:56:46.20\00:56:47.47
more and more people are hearing
00:56:47.57\00:56:48.57
the call to examine
00:56:48.67\00:56:49.77
the Scriptures for themselves.
00:56:49.87\00:56:51.91
If you've felt drawn to learn
00:56:52.01\00:56:52.94
more about God's Word,
00:56:53.04\00:56:54.11
but you don't know
00:56:54.21\00:56:54.61
where to start
00:56:54.71\00:56:55.91
or you're just looking for
00:56:56.01\00:56:56.91
a more in-depth examination
00:56:57.01\00:56:58.25
of Bible truths,
00:56:58.35\00:57:00.05
then I have something right here
00:57:00.15\00:57:01.42
that I believe
00:57:01.52\00:57:02.08
you're going to enjoy.
00:57:02.18\00:57:03.95
I would like to send you
00:57:04.05\00:57:04.99
a series of Bible-study guides.
00:57:05.09\00:57:07.32
Each of these study guides asks
00:57:07.42\00:57:08.82
and answers very important
00:57:08.92\00:57:10.23
questions, such as these
00:57:10.33\00:57:11.56
examples right here.
00:57:11.66\00:57:13.06
Why does God allow suffering?
00:57:13.16\00:57:15.16
Can God be trusted?
00:57:15.26\00:57:17.80
Each of the initial five guides
00:57:17.90\00:57:19.30
begins with a story
00:57:19.40\00:57:20.74
to introduce the subject.
00:57:20.84\00:57:22.40
Then, through a series
00:57:22.50\00:57:23.30
of focused questions,
00:57:23.41\00:57:24.91
you'll soon be learning portions
00:57:25.01\00:57:25.94
of the Bible
00:57:26.04\00:57:27.24
you may never have known before.
00:57:27.34\00:57:29.31
And when you're through,
00:57:29.41\00:57:30.55
you'll be able to share
00:57:30.65\00:57:31.38
with others these inspiring
00:57:31.48\00:57:32.88
truths from God's words.
00:57:32.98\00:57:35.52
Just call our toll-free number.
00:57:35.62\00:57:36.82
It's on your screen now.
00:57:36.92\00:57:38.32
877, the two words HIS-WILL.
00:57:38.42\00:57:41.79
Friendly operators are standing
00:57:41.89\00:57:43.56
by to send you these guides.
00:57:43.66\00:57:45.29
Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:45.39\00:57:47.30
Call that number.
00:57:47.40\00:57:48.80
And don't forget to join me
00:57:48.90\00:57:50.63
next week right here
00:57:50.73\00:57:52.13
at this same time.
00:57:52.23\00:57:53.37
¤
00:57:59.87\00:58:01.64