Sermon Genesis 50:15-21 Why Do We Forgive Others?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon Genesis 50:15-21 Why Do We Forgive Others?

September 14, 2014

There is a story which has been shared over 45 thousand times on Facebook. You may have seen it. A husband and wife have been married for 70 years. During this time the wife kept a shoe box on the top shelf of the closet. The husband respected her privacy and never opened the box. Then one day the wife was in the hospital and she realized that it was time for her husband to know what was in the box. The husband went home, got the box from the top shelf and opened it. Inside he found two dolls knitted from yarn and $95000 in cash. He brought the box and its contents to the hospital and asked his wife what this was all about. She told him what her mother had taught her. Every time her husband made her angry she was to knit a doll. Her husband smiled thinking to himself, “There are only two dolls. I must have only made her angry twice in 70 years.” Then he asked his wife about the $95000 also in the box. And she said, with a smile, “that money came from all the dolls I sold.”¹

We all get angry at someone else. We do it all the time. What should we do when we get angry and don't know how to knit dolls? We will get to this, but first let's pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, like the sun that fills the morning sky, you are the light that banishes the darkness of the world. Sun of Righteousness, arise in my heart, fill me with the radiance of your love, and display the light of your saving grace until I shine with the joy of life everlasting. Amen.²

Joseph was a dreamer. He had big ideas and was going places. His brothers spent their days working the farm, and wondered when Joseph would get to work. But Joseph's father encouraged his son to dream big dreams, and lavished him with gifts. His brothers became jealous and plotted to kill him. But instead of killing him they sold Joseph into slavery. And Joseph ended up in an Egyptian prison. This was not at all what he had dreamed.

An Egyptian prison is where all victims go. It is where we remember our hurts. It is where we demand our rights. It is where our anger grows. When we see on television the brutal acts of ISIS against Christians, we go into our Egyptian prisons, get angry, and plot ways to kill our enemies. When a loved one violates the trust we had placed in that person we go into our Egyptian prisons and think of ways to get even. When an employers says we have to go to save the business a little money, we go into our Egyptian prisons. Whenever a loved one is too hurt to love you, whenever you have been betrayed, whenever your rights have been violated, you go into your Egyptian prison and nurture your anger. Joseph was in his Egyptian prison seething with anger at his brothers for what they has done, and plotting ways to get even.

I recently met a woman who is sitting in her own Egyptian prison. Three years ago she lost her son in a traffic accident. Two years ago she lost her husband to suicide. Recently she lost her mother. There are three locks on the cell door of her Egyptian prison.

While Joseph was in his Egyptian prison he found the God. A gracious God who loved him and forgave him, and released him from his Egyptian prison to a new life. Whenever you encounter God your life changes in significant ways. You become a new person. You think in news ways. Each morning is a new opportunity for you. You find that God is sufficient for you, you no longer have any need for whatever it was you lost. And you are ready and able to forgive.

Joseph left his Egyptian prison and entered his new life. He became a leader in Egypt and used his power to store food so that the people would have something to eat if the rains stopped, which they did. The drought effected the whole region. Year after year the crops failed for Joseph's brothers and they were forced to come to Egypt begging for food.

What would Joseph do when they arrive? Would he return to his Egyptian prison, his hurt, his anger, and all the ideas he had for getting even? Or would he, in his new life in God, forgive his brothers just as he had been forgiven? This is the choice we all have. We can hold onto our anger and dwell on our victimization. We can plot our revenge and try to get even. Or we can forgive and let go of the hurt. It's our choice. Let's see what Joseph did?

Genesis 50:15-21 ¹⁵ Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, "What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?" ¹⁶ So they approached Joseph, saying, "Your father gave this instruction before he died, ¹⁷ 'Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.' Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸ Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, "We are here as your slaves." ¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰ Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹ So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Joseph forgave his brothers. He released his anger. And filled with God's love was able to love even those who did him wrong. Then, Joseph gave his brothers two reasons why he forgave them. Let's look at these reasons.

The first reason Joseph gave for forgiving his brothers was that he was not God. Only God can judge. Only God knows all the facts. Only God is perfectly just and good. So Joseph did not judge his brothers. He let God do the judging. This is good advise for us. Why judge the people who hurt us? That just makes us victims and increases our anger. Why not just let God be the judge? That way we don't have to worry about it anymore. God will take care of it and we can get on with our lives. So let God be the judge and take yourself off the hook.

The second reason Joseph gave for forgiving his brothers was that God used what seemed to be bad for good. Certainly selling Joseph into slavery was not a good thing to do. It was evil. But look at what God did. He took this evil and changed it into something good. Because Joseph was in Egypt he was able to store food which fed his family saving them from starvation. God took an evil act and used it for his purposes. Joseph realized this and forgave his brothers. So too with us. When we experience evil we can't know how God will use it. In God's plan the evil we see may actually be part of a much bigger good. So don't judge because there is no way you could ever see the whole picture as God does.

So what should we do when we experience evil at the hand of someone else. We have two choices. We can descend into our Egyptian prisons, demand our rights, seek our revenge, try to get even, and let our anger grow. Or we can encounter the living God, experience transformation of life, and let Him be the judge because He alone knows how best to handle the situation. The choice is yours. You can be a victim filled with anger, or you can be filled with the love of God and forgive. Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, in you we experience God's love and forgiveness. Help us to love one another and forgive those who have done us harm. This we pray in your name. Amen.

1http://blog.petflow.com/money-in-a-box/

2Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p165.

Sermon Ezekiel 33:7-11 The Watchman

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon Ezekiel 33:7-11 The Watchman

September 7, 2014

In ancient times a watchman would be sent to the top of a nearby mountain to watch the horizon for any sign of an approaching enemy. He was to stay alert and observe what was happening. When he saw a cloud of dust in the distance he was not only to see it, but he was also required to understand the underlying truth that an enemy army was approaching. Whenever he saw the reality of danger and understood the underlying truth he was supposed to blow the ram's horn warning the city of approaching danger. His job was complete when he gave the warning. Others were responsible for getting ready for the attack. So long as the watchman faithfully gave his warning, he did what he was supposed to do regardless of the actions of others. But if he failed to give the warning and city was destroyed it was his fault. So watchmen had very important responsibilities. Today we will look at the parable of the watchman in the book of Ezekiel, but first let's pray.

“Good morning, God. Thank you for the invitation to live faithfully today, walking in your paths, loving my neighbor. The day is new, unmarred by missteps or words misspoken, so I pause in this newness to remember your commandments and to delight in them. Help me to follow you all through this day. Keep my feet from stumbling or wandering down other trails so that I honor you and others in word and deed. In Christ I pray. Amen”.¹

Ezekiel 33:7-11 7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself. 10 "Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?"' 11 Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'

There is a television program on the CNBC network at night which I have come to enjoy. It is called, The Profit. The word “profit” is spelled PROFIT. Ordinarily the word “profit” is a business term and refers to the excess of revenue over expenses. It is what a business has left over after all the bills are paid. But in this TV show the word “profit” refers to a man, Marcus Lemonis. Mr. Lemonis is a specialist in turning around failing businesses. He visits a business that is losing money, has high debt, and is about to close. He evaluates the business in terms of people, products and process. And he determines if these things can be changed to turn the business around. If the answer is yes he offers the following deal to the owner. Lemonis will give the owner a large check in exchange for 51% of the business and 100% control. The owners usually don't like this deal because it means giving up control. But when they realize that if they reject the deal their businesses will close they eventually agree to it. Once the deal is made Lemonis then makes the changes that are needed, usually over the strong objections of the previous owner.

In a recent episode Lemonis visited a Key Lime Pie shop in Key West Florida. The store was losing money and was about to close. Lemonis saw the reality of the situation. The stores were filled with unprofitable merchandise. The pies were made with a powered mix. The people worked hard, but because of the financial difficulties had part time jobs. Lemonis made the the necessary changes. He and the previous owner developed a recipe to make key lime pies from scratch. They replaced the unprofitable merchandise with tables where guests could sit and enjoy slices of the new pie. This generated higher profits and allowed Lemonis to pay full time wages. It worked. Marcus Lemonis is a watchman. He observes the reality of a business. He understands the underlying truth of what is going on. And he gives a warning of what must change.

The CNBC Profit, Marcus Lemonis, is similar to another prophet, spelled PROPHET, and the prophet's name is Ezekiel. Like Lemonis, Ezekiel was a turn-around specialist.. But instead of turning around businesses he turned around nations, or at least he tried. He observed the people, products and processes of 6^th century BCE in Jerusalem. And he knew the underlying truth of what was going on. Like a watchman he warned the people of their upcoming destruction if they did not change.

But the people ignored his warning. They continued to live a life of disobedience to God's commands. They lived in luxury, while refusing to care for those living on the margins, the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, all those who could not care for themselves. The prophets warned them over and over again, but the people refused to listen. And so God withdrew the protection of the city, and as the Babylonian army approached and the ram's horn sounded, but the people did nothing.

So far we have seen two watchmen, Marcus Lemonis, the CNBC profit, who warns businesses to change or die, and the biblical prophet, Ezekiel who warned the people of Jerusalem of God's wrath if they failed to repent. The question I have been thinking about this week is whether or not we have a prophet now and if so what is he or she warning us about today.

I think we do have watchman at work today. This watchman observes what is going on. This watchman understands the underlying truth of what is happening. And this watchman has sounded the alarm. Who might this watchman be? It is Jesus Christ, anointed as a prophet, watching over us as a watchman. He sees what we do. He knows the underlying reality of sin. And he has sounded the alarm. But like the businesses on the CNBC show and the people of 6^th century BCE Jerusalem, we don't want to give up what have, what we have earned, what we control.

What is it the reality that Christ observes? What is the underlying truth of this situation? What must we do? What is Christ's warning? Well, let's listen to the Apostle Paul,

Romans 13: 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

So the warning that comes from our watchman, Jesus Christ, is that we must change our ways and love our neighbors. But we don't want to do this. We have a hard enough time taking care of ourselves. We just don't want the responsibility of caring for other people too. But this is what we are commanded to do.

On the CNBC show, the Profit, the owners never want to give up what they have and surrender control of their businesses. They resist until the very end. But Marcus Lemonsis always gets them to cooperate with an incentive. He always hands them a great, big check. So does Christ offer us an incentive to get us to love one another? Yes he does! Christ offers us forgiveness which leads to eternal life. That's as big a check as you or I could ever get. And it comes as gift for all who believe. You have already received it. So what is your response? Are you willing now to obey Christ and love your neighbor as much as Christ loves you in gradtitude for this wonderful gift?

I think we Christians should accept this offer. We have been slaves to sin for too long. We have received this wonderful gift of forgiveness and this promise of eternal life. Isn't time to change our ways, and do what God wants us to do in return, and really love our neighbors?

Let's pray. Lord Jesus we hear your warnings. We accept your gifts. We are grateful. Lead us now in your ways. Help us to love our neighbors. This we pray in your glorious name. Amen.

1Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p156.