NOTE: Before I get into the message this morning, I want to solicit your prayers. Isabella and I are in Belgium this morning. We will be here all week to preach a Faith Conference. Please pray with us for the Supernatural to manifest.
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”, by continuing in the story of Joseph. Yesterday I shared how Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and highlighted some of Joseph’s parallels to Christ. This morning we will put ourselves in the shoes of the 10 brothers who had sold Joseph into slavery some 22 years earlier. Sure, the brothers felt some level of fear. The man who had been giving them a hard time for months, the man with the power to have them killed, the man with the authority, was now also the man they had done wrong. It is safe to say that the initial shock of his reveal sent a surge of fear and angst through their bodies.
However, I also need to point out the point that the brothers must have also felt a sense of relief. For 22 years they thought their mistake had ended up in Joseph’s death. They lived with the regret of a fatal mistake. At least to their knowledge, they were responsible for the death of one of their own brothers. They also lived with recurring guilt for the grief and pain they caused their own father. Every time their father brought up Joseph’s name they probably replayed the event (Joseph screaming from the pit for mercy and begging them not to sell him as a slave) in their minds. They lived with emotional and psychological baggage. And now, out of the blue, a man who sat in the position of power in Egypt had just revealed himself to be their long lost brother. Wow! Think about that for a moment. Joseph, as it turns out, was not dead after all. Joseph was alive and living very well!
Joseph still being alive meant that they no longer had to live with the guilt of death over their heads. What they feared the most actually never happened. Joseph would later reveal to them that this entire episode actually worked out for the good of the entire family. This was one of those, “almost too hard to believe” moments.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Our God is a forgiving God. You are not perfect and God knows you will make mistakes. Not only did God already make plans for you (before the world began), but He has also already given you a way to deal with your mistakes. John said, “If we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” (1 Jn 1:9).
2. God also wants you to forgive yourself. What’s the use of receiving forgiveness from God if you are going to walk around in bondage, with the heavy burden of guilt and shame? Several times in this story Joseph’s brothers exposed the guilt and shame they were carrying around. Although their transgression had occurred 22 years earlier, they were still carrying around the weight of it in their hearts. One of the greatest blessings I have ever received from God is the ability to forgive myself for the things He has already forgiven me for. When you forgive yourself you give yourself license to become the person God called you to be!
3. You have not disqualified yourself. If you are still living, if there is blood still flowing through your veins, if there is air still flowing through your lungs, then God is not through with you. You still have hope. God still has plans for you. Die to self, live for God, and watch God’s best manifest through your life.
a) God made plans for Joseph’s brothers before the world began. His plans were BIG plans. They were supposed to be leaders of great tribes (that still live on today). But they committed an egregious error. The brothers then thought they had disqualified themselves from God’s best. This is what the enemy would want you to think. Don’t fall into His trap of guilt and shame.
b) God does not take back His calling or His assignment. He knew what you were going to do before you did it, and He called you anyway. In the New Testament Paul said, “God never changes his mind about the people he calls. He never decides to take back the blessings he has given them” (Rom 11:29). Another translation of that verse reads, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Joseph’s brothers were not disqualified from God’s and neither are you! You cannot disqualify yourself from what Jesus qualified you for!
c) Allow God to resurrect your dead dreams and hopes. There is nothing impossible for God. Think back to those things you have given up hope on, think back to your broken dreams and aspirations, think back to the missed opportunities in your life, now believe God to put LIFE back into those dead situations. God breathed LIFE back into Joseph’s brother’s dreams and He will do the same for you!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. The more I study Your grace, the better equipped I am to live by faith. My faith used to falter whenever my conduct did. My faith used to waver whenever I made poor decisions. My faith used to fail whenever I failed in life. But I don’t live that way any longer. My faith is strong, because it is rooted and grounded in Your love and grace towards me. My faith is not contingent upon me being perfect or flawless. My faith is connected to Your tireless dedication to me and to the plans You made for me before the world began. So Father, I no longer beat myself up for the mistakes I have made. I am alive and You still want to use me. I am still breathing and You still want me to walk in my calling. Blood is still flowing through my veins and my assignment is still waiting on me. I have not disqualified myself, because Jesus qualified me with His blood, His love, His grace and His forgiveness. I have received Your forgiveness and I have also received the power to forgive myself. Forward ever… Backward Never! The best is yet to come in my life! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
