C3 Network Podcast Episode 123: Genesis | Week 25

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Transcript

welcome back I'm Dan Holland and we have worked our way all the way through the Book of Genesis now today we cross the finish line we'll cover chapters 48 49 and 50 as the story about Joseph has moved from Joseph at the age of 17 to Joseph at the age of 110 a lot happens before Joseph dies now in these final chapters to survive Jacob's family relocates to Egypt because of a worldwide famine Jacob is reunited with Joseph and eventually blesses Joseph's Sons Ephraim and Manasseh also Jacob gives each of his sons the blessing appropriate to him and then he dies he got to live in Egypt for 17 years and died at the ripe old age of 147 now let's pick up the story in Genesis 50 starting with verse 15 when Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead they said what if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him so they sent word to Joseph saying your father left these instructions before he died now we don't know if he really left the instructions but this is what they said this is what you are to say to Joseph I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly now please forgive the sins of the Servants of the god of your father when their message came to him Joseph wept his brothers then came and threw themselves down before him we are your slaves they said but Joseph said to them don't be afraid am I in the place of God you intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done the saving of many lives so then don't be afraid I will provide for you and your children and he reassured them and spoke kindly to them Joseph reassures his brothers because well because they're terrified that he'll take revenge following their father's death and think about that phrase you intended to harm me but God God intended it for good you know it's one thing to believe that God is working through you and another to practically live like it's true the way Joseph did for example it's one thing to believe Romans 8:28 that says and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose it's one thing to believe that and quite another to practically live that way see that verse summarizes Joseph's life you intended to harm me but God intended it for good Joseph knew that sometimes life is hard and people can sometimes do very mean things to hurt us intentionally but he was convinced that God intended it for good now sometimes we get to experience the good while on earth like Joseph did but not always think through the chain of events that Joseph was encapsulating in that one statement think about how those events worked out for good see had Joseph not been sold into slavery he would never have ended up in Egypt had Joseph not ended up in Egypt he would never have gained distinction in Piper's house had he not gained distinction in Piper's house he would never have been falsely accused by Piper's wife had he not been falsely accused by Piper's wife he would never have ended up in jail all right so far things don't seem to be working out for good right but think about it had Joseph not ended up in jail he would never have interpreted the cup bearer's dream had he not interpreted the cup bearer's dream he would never have been called upon to interpret Pharaoh's dream and had he not interpreted Pharaoh's dream Egypt would never have been prepared for the coming fam had Egypt not been prepared for the coming famine many many in Egypt would have died and so would Joseph and his brothers and had Joseph and his brothers died there would have been no Israel and therefore no Messiah see Joseph's whole life is one long trail of evidence that demonstrates how God uses even the worst of circumstances to turn our lives into something useful and profitable when we think about how life turns out I think we can choose one of three options for dealing with the past one we can regret the past now that's one way to deal with the past regret it but when we do see that's all about I and me you'll hear yourself saying things like this what I did and what I didn't do what I should have or could have done see it's all about I and me but that just leads to regret regret it's a waste of time and it's a thief of joy now another way to deal with the past is to resent the past that's another way we sometimes try to deal with the past resent the past but when we do it's about others and you and and them you'll hear yourself saying things like what they did or what they said or what they didn't do or what they didn't say see when you feel that you've been taken advantage of by others or maybe put down dismissed ignored whatever it makes you think that maybe resenting the past is the way to go but rather than helping you heal resentment just leads to futility and unhappiness so there's another way to deal with the past and that is to reframe the past see this is all about what God is doing Joseph's story is all about what God is doing see when Joseph said you intended to harm me but God intended it for good he was reframing the past he hadn't done everything right and neither had his family see in this model of dealing with the past we accept responsibility for our decisions and choices Joseph was specifically reminding his brothers that although they intended to harm him whenever they sold him into slavery God intended it for good to accomplish what was now being done which was the saving of many lives through the seven years of famine so much heartache frustration and wrong marks that timeline of Joseph's 110 years but in all of this he could say confidently God intended it for good and I'm curious can you think of times in your life when someone clearly intended to harm you have you seen in in retrospect God working those events for your good and to his glory see sometimes we need a do over a mulligan if you will has life turned out as expected it didn't it didn't work out for Joseph as he had imagined it might and sometimes honestly it doesn't work out as expected for us either Joseph had a dream you remember that he believed the dream to be from God but then but then life happened and I wonder is it true that God uses every event in life to get us where he want wants us to be to do his will so to get the conversation started i' like for you to say whether you agree or disagree with this God uses every event in life to get us where he wants us to be to do his will do you agree or disagree now let the conversation begin