Road to Reconciliation

Are you currently “on the outs” with anyone? Is there someone you used to be close to but a rift has developed in the relationship that has never been addressed or properly healed? What about a friend or family member who has hurt you in a very significant way? Today’s study will look at how Joseph took the stance of making the relationship more important than being right.  Our passage suggests that there are four steps to reconciliation: Calling, Repentance, Forgiveness, and Restoration

Genesis 45: 5-6

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! ⁵ And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 

Things to think about:

·      Are you currently separated from someone who used to be very close to you?

o   is your role in this situation more like the brothers or Joseph?

Calling

·      Calling has a two-fold reference here

o   Joseph called his brothers to himself

o   Joseph was called by God to deliver his family

·      “Come close to me”

o   He took the initiative, he called them to be near him

o   big relationship problems aren’t addressed through texting, other family members, or mutual friends

§  why is direct, face-to-face communication vital?

·      Joseph could have been angry, sought revenge, thrown them in prison, said “I told you so”

o   He saw his mission, his purpose in what had happened

o   “sent” implies a sender, one with authority to direct the path of another

o   Rather than chastise them he cherishes the life-saving mission God called him to

o   While we may not be called to literally solve world hunger like Joseph, can you reflect on how God has shaped your life to be uniquely qualified to serve those around you?

Repentance

·      He found they were sincere in their repentance of their sin against him

o   in Genesis 44:16 Judah says to Joseph that “God has uncovered your servants’ guilt”

o   Joseph tested them to see if they had matured in the intervening years since they sold him to the Ishmaelites

o   Judah’s speech in chapter 44 demonstrated they were changed men, willing to trade their lives for that of their youngest brother Benjamin

o   Why is repentance a key step of the relation reconciliation process?

o   How should we react when the other party isn’t repentant?

§  Matthew 5:44 - But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Forgiveness

·      How many times in the account of Joseph does it say he cried or wept?

o    Nine

o   He doesn’t cry tears of “poor pitiful me” but because of his love for his family

o   Forgiveness is a life-giving act and attitude because it releases us from the bondage of bitterness. The rush of emotion Joseph feels is his expression of the deep unconditional love he has for his family

o   do tears come easily or not for you? Under what circumstances?

·      Given the enormous hurt the brothers inflicted on Joseph, combined with his position of near-supreme authority, he could have been justified in delivering a harsh punishment

o   Under what circumstances does forgiveness trump the facts?

§  Hint: see Ephesians 4:31-32

Restoration

·      He was generous, giving them the best, not what they deserved (Genesis 47:11-12)

o   What are the parallels with the father of the prodigal son?

o   How do we see God’s character in this?

§  grace and mercy

·      Genesis 45:24 “Don’t quarrel on the way”

o   Why would he tells his brothers to not argue on their way back to Canaan?

§  He knew they would be playing the blame game and he wanted them to look ahead, not backwards.

o   Why is looking backwards at past wrongs a recipe for further damage?

§  locked into something we can’t change (past)

§  not present in the present (present)

§  nurturing weeds, not sowing seeds (future)

§  Paul writes in Philippians 3:13-14, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

·      Genesis 50:20 – when Jacob died 17 years later, the brothers were still afraid Joseph would finally exact his revenge now that the old man was out of the way.

o   “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good”

o   He didn’t sugarcoat or pretend it was something it wasn’t

o   verse 21, “Don’t be afraid, I will provide for you”

·      How does the model of Calling, Repentance, Forgiveness, and Restoration mirror the gospel?

o   Calling: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son

o   Repentance: That whoever believes in Him

o   Forgiveness: Should not perish

o   Restoration: But have eternal life

·      Do you need to call someone today to begin the journey on the Road to Reconciliation?

Prison or Preparation?

Are you going through an especially trying time right now?  To make matters worse, do you feel that you actually didn’t cause what’s going on but have been wronged or treated unfairly? If this sounds like you, take heart. We are going to look at one episode from the life of Joseph that should give you cause for hope and endurance.

Genesis 39:20-23

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Things to think about:

·       Joseph got fired from his job. Compounding this unfortunate situation was the fact that he didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he did everything right and still got sacked!

o   Have you ever lost your job through no fault of your own?

o   Have you ever been falsely accused of something at work?

·      Unemployment can sometimes feel like a kind of prison. You are isolated from people who are “on the outside”, freely pursing their careers, while you toil in a kind of solitary confinement.

o   Can you identify with this feeling? Do you know of someone who is in this mindset?

o   How can we have a “prison ministry” to encourage those serving a sentence of unemployment?

·      What are other kinds of prisons we can find ourselves in?

o   Bitterness, loneliness, depression, illness? Do any of these or something else resonate with you?

·      Joseph made the most of his time while he was out of work. His good attitude and diligence in his duties caught the warden’s eye and created an opportunity for him. It also created an environment where God could (and did) bless him.

o   He could have sulked and had a pity party but instead he allowed God to use him while in transition.

o   In Genesis 40:6-7 we see that Joseph built relationships with the people whom God had put in his circle of influence. His “networking” later proved to be vital to his next career move. (Although not without a two year delay)

o   How can volunteering be a good use of time for someone who is in between jobs or otherwise struggling?

o   Why is building relationships critical when we are going through difficult periods?

·      Jeremiah 29:11  -  ^“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

o   Like Joseph, the Israelites were in exile (a kind of prison)

o   For those He calls His own (which includes YOU), God is at work, preparing you for what He has in in mind for your life and your purpose in His service.

o   One of the reasons we become Christians is because we have conceded that we’re not very good at directing the course of our lives.  With that being the case, trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight.

·      Joseph went on to become the Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh as most powerful man in the world.

o   The time he spent in prison prepared him spiritually, relationally, and practically for his future role.

§  God could have promoted him sooner but didn’t.  Why do you think that might be?

o   Describe how God has used a prison term for you as the preparation period for His future work in you and for you.

·      How does today’s study cause you to rethink your current circumstances?

o   Why is preparation so vital to His plans for us?

·      How might you approach your next encounter with someone “in prison” differently based on Joseph’s example?