God’s Sovereignty Leads to Radical Forgiveness and Unshakable Faith
October 31, 2021 Speaker: Lenny Konschewitz Series: The Patriarchs
Topic: The Patriarchs - God's Persistent Call Passage: Genesis 50:15–26
The last chapter in the book of Genesis is a powerful illustration of how God’s sovereignty led to radical forgiveness and unshakable faith in Joseph’s life.
Joseph’s beloved father, Jacob, had died and his brothers were now afraid again that Joseph would pay them back for all the evil they had done to him decades earlier. When Joseph received the message that his brothers feared his revenge, he wept. Why? Most likely because he couldn’t believe that after all these years his brothers were still suspicious towards him. 17 years earlier, when the brothers and Joseph were first reunited, he had made it clear then that he wasn’t holding a grudge against them and that everything had served a greater plan. For 17 long years, the brothers lived under the false, fearful illusion that one day Joseph would pay them back.
But, inspired by God’s grace and love, Joseph was able to radically forgive his brothers.
What is quite remarkable about Joseph is that throughout his many years of hardship, he chose to develop an attitude of hope that caused him to see God’s goodness and provision amid all difficulties. He saw that everything that had happened to him served the greater purpose of saving countless lives during the famine that was sweeping through the nations. Joseph had plenty of opportunities to sink into a hole of self-pity and depression. But instead, by faith, he realized that everything wasn’t just about him.
Joseph developed such unshakable faith in God’s promises that he even gave his brothers instructions to carry his bones back to the land God had promised their ancestors when the time would come to leave Egypt.
Taking it Home: I believe God is calling us to be like Joseph in our generation. Who do you need to radically forgive? What can you do today to see God’s sovereign hand at work in your life leading to unshakable faith for the future?
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