Rent Free

Message Transcription

Well, if you have your Bible with you, go ahead and open to Genesis 42. We're just going to jump right in. We got a lot of ground to cover as we think about this story of Joseph. We've been thinking together about what it means to to let them cook as God is with him all the time, but that doesn't mean he's always rescuing him from all the situations and and hoping that he'll release him from the the circumstances that he finds himself in. Instead, we've been following along. In fact, last week we left Joseph at a pretty important point in his life. We left him in front of Pharaoh, right? Pharaoh had had a couple of strange dreams and no one in his household could interpret it. None of his magicians, none of them, until the cupbearer remembers. Oh, yeah, a couple of years ago, when I was in prison, there was this guy, and he could interpret dreams. And so Pharaoh says, bring him to me. And so he does. And he interprets Pharaoh's dreams, those strange dreams about the cows and the heads of grain that get the healthy ones, get eaten by the, uh, looks like the zombie ones. And he says, actually, what that means is there's going to be seven years of abundance, followed by seven years of famine. So, Pharaoh, if you're smart, what you do is, is get a smart person to be in charge to, to go throughout the land and take about 20% of the abundance each year and store it up.

And then that way when the famine hits, you won't starve and the nation won't starve. Pharaoh likes that idea, and he says, that's a great idea, Joseph. In fact, I want you to be that guy. Right. And instantly Joseph's life changed, right? It's been 13 years. We're told he was 30 when he enters the time of Pharaoh's service. But he was 17 when he was sold into captivity. 13 years he's been chasing these dreams. Will they come true? Will they not? Ups and downs all over the place until this one day. Now he's put in charge. In fact, he's second in command, following Pharaoh. He's the only person above him. Anything that happens, he says it's going to happen. As Dade read for us just a minute ago when Pharaoh appoints him, not only does he do that, he gives him a new name, and he gives him a wife of a of a prominent official in his cabinet. And as that story unfolds, Joseph goes throughout the land and he's so successful we're told that he just quits counting. He quits counting how much grain he stored up because it's so abundant, he says. It's like sand on the seashore, sand in the sea. We're also told something else, though, that happens to Joseph. Joseph becomes a father. And this is what we're told. Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh. For he said, God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house.

The second he named Ephraim. For God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortunes. Now let me ask, how many of you know the story of your name, where it came from? Uh, if it's if it means something in particular, if you're named after somebody, just a just a few of us. I feel really sorry for you. Names are important, aren't they? Right. I was named after my grandfather, and my father actually carries the name of her mother as part of her name. Right? We named our children after people in our family. It's interesting how we come up with names, isn't it? Sometimes it's a special event, a moment in time. Sometimes it's. It's a particular thing that we've seen or been moved by. It's a it's a story that we've heard. Maybe it's a character that we resonate with. But names are important, right? Names tell us something about the person who is named or and maybe also the person doing the naming. Which brings us to our Gen Z term of the week. We've been looking at different Gen Z terms throughout the week throughout this series. Right. And this week it's rent free. How many of you have heard this phrase before? Rent free simply means obsessing over someone or something living inside someone's head. So, for example, what he said to me still lives in my head rent free.

Now, that's important to remember as we think about Joseph here. Church, who's been living in your head rent free. Who's that person that's been following you around? Right. That that that guy or that gal who said that thing, right? Or they did that to you, and it just keeps being rehearsed over and over in your mind, right? Joseph has some people living rent free in his mind. How do we know? Look at his names of his sons. Manasseh. Lord, help me forget my family. That's your name, son? Uh. Thanks, dad. What about me, dad? Ephraim. Oh, yours is just as good. God's made me forget all the horrible things that have happened to me since I've lived in Egypt. Thanks, dad. Right. There are some folks living rent free in Joseph's mind. So much so that it's. It's coming out. It's leaking out in ways that he may not even recognize at the time. You see, there's no pain like family pain, right? I mean, there's no pain like family pain. Something about family, right? We can hurt each other in ways that maybe others can't. There's something about the closeness. Not just the the proximity, but but the relationships. You know, I have a family just like you. And in my family, I've got some memories, some some great memories of things that happened that were just precious. And I and I love to cherish to think about them. But I also have some darker memories, some things that were said to me and and done to me.

Sometimes there were things that I said and that I did and they just kind of follow me around. They just find a way inside my mind, living there rent free. Now, I also have a family of my own now, right? Like Joseph, I've got a couple of kids and parents. You know this, don't you? Have you ever had that moment when you're when you're having that tirade or that meltdown in front of your kid and they're looking at you like you've lost your mind and you're going, yeah, I know this one's going to come up in therapy at some point, right? You just know, okay. Yeah. I as you're saying it, as you're doing it, you recognize there's just there's nothing there's no pain like family pain. And we see it all through Joseph's story. Right? For 13 years, his life has unfolded because of some really horrible, painful things that happened in his family. And it leads to this moment, this moment where he's now has some power, some authority. And as chapter 42 opens up, we learn that Joseph's prediction of the dream or interpretation actually comes true, that there have been seven years of abundance, but now those seven years of famine have hit. It's been 20 years. Here's what we're told as 42 opens up. Jacob learns that there's grain down in Egypt. So he says, yo, sons, why are you staring at each other like a bunch of Chad's? Here's the T.

Egypt's grain supply is extra. Quit loafing. Get down there and grab us some grub. So ten of the bros went down to Egypt to snag some nobs, but not Benjamin. Joseph's little bro, Jacob, was locked up and he was locked in on keeping baby boy safe. He wasn't about to let something happen. So the Sons of Israel rolled up into town with all the others to buy grain, since the famine was getting real in Canaan. Joseph's about to come face to face with another turning point in his life. He named his sons God. Thank you that you've helped me forget the losers that I grew up with, the people that have wounded me and hurt me. But it's kind of ironic that he names his son after that, so that every time he says his name, he remembers that story. It's kind of a weird deal. We're kind of weird sometimes, right? Right? But Joseph's now out of jail. He's got a new job, he's got a new wife, he's got new kids. It's all new, right? It's all coming up roses. Until verse six, Joseph was governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brother came, and they bowed themselves before him, their faces to the ground. Now for paying attention. That means something, right? If you remember any story that Joseph told about his family coming and bowing their faces to the ground before him.

Now, was that good news? No it wasn't. Now his family. Right. That whole Manasseh thing. Now it's now face to face. Here's what we're told. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. Where do you come from? He said. They said the land of Canaan to buy food. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them, and he said, your spies, you have come to see where our land is unprotected. No, my lord, they answered, your servants have come to buy food. We're all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies. No, he said, you have come to see where our land is unprotected. But they replied, your servants were 12 brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more. Now, how do you think that landed for Joseph? I'll show you one more. Right. Right? But Joseph said to them, it's just as I have said, your spies. Here is how you shall be tested. As Pharaoh lives. You shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Let one of you go and bring your brother while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there's truth in you or else as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.

And he put them all together in prison for three days. And just imagine what's going on inside of Joseph in these moments. And he comes back on the third day. Right now, as people of who are followers of Jesus third day language should resonate with us, right? God does his best work. On the third day he does resurrection work on the third day here. On the third day, Joseph comes back and he says, changed my mind. Here's what we'll do. One of you will stay with me. The rest of you can take your grain, go home, get your brother and bring him back. And that way I'll know you're not spies and you all won't die. And they. They agreed. Okay. Fair enough. Then we're told 42 beginning in verse 21. Alas, we are paying the penalty. These are the brothers talking to one another for what we did to our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us. We learn a couple of details here that we didn't learn earlier in the story, that when Joseph was being sold off into slavery, it wasn't just this kind of spur of the moment deal. Instead, we find out Joseph was pleading, please don't do this to me. Please forgive me.

I'm sorry. Please. And they won't listen. And then the older brother does what older siblings do, right? He told you guys. I told you not to mess with little bro. But you did. And now we're paying for it. They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. He turned away from them and wept. What's going on inside of Joseph? You have your Bible. Just circle that. Then he returned and he spoke to them. He picked out Simeon, and he had him bound before their eyes. Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain to return every man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. And this was done for them. We start to get a sense for Joseph's wrestling with what is he going to do now? He's been praying and thanking God and names his son that God has given him the grace of forgetting, of moving on, of not having to worry about those people who troubled him, and living in a land that has mistreated him so terribly. And yet still it's living rent free in his mind. And when they finally show up on his doorstep, we see this vacillating between should I be harsh? Should I throw him in jail? Should I give them everything that they need? In fact, returning the money? Just a gift of grace. It's interesting. As the brothers travel back home, they stop for the night and as one of them opens the bag, we don't know which one, but he opens his bag to pull out some food to feed the donkeys, and he sees the money and he turns to his brothers and he says, look, it's got the money back.

It's in the sack. At this they lost heart, and they turned trembling to one another and listened to what they say. What is this that God has done to us? Looks like Joseph isn't the only one who's got some people living rent free. It sounds like the brothers are well aware of what they've done. In fact, it's been following them, maybe haunting them for years. Just rent free. So much so that Ruben would say, see, I told you, I told you. Well, the only way he could tell them is if he had been telling them. And then so much so it's been weighing on their conscience and on their heart so much that they see this gift of grace to them. Not as a gift, but as a curse. Oh, great. We have all the food we need and our money has all been given back to us. How many of you have ever had that experience at a restaurant? Oh, this is an amazing dinner. And somebody paid for it. Oh, God. Why are you cursing me? Right. It's. It's living in their heads so much that they can no longer even interpret true grace as a gift.

Now, before we get too far judging these guys, how true of that is for us, huh? Right. Joseph and his brothers aren't the only ones that have some people and some events. Living rent free church. How? What's living rent free in you? What causes you to question the goodness of God in your life as a curse? Because you're holding on to that pain that hurt. They finally get home and they tell Jacob what's happened. They say, dad, the only way we're going back. Ruben says the only way we can go back is if you send Benjamin with us. And Jacob says not happening. Right. That had to be an awkward conversation later on with Simeon, like, hey, what happened when he told dad, did y'all just, like, rush back? Uh, actually, he was like, well, I've lost Joseph now. I've lost Simeon. I'm not losing Benjamin again. Sorry. Right? Story kind of pauses right there. They plead with Jacob, but he's not moving until chapter 43 opens up. And again they run out of food. And so now Jacob comes to them and says, hey, go get some more. And Judah this time steps up and says that we can't do it. If you're not going to send Benjamin with us, we're not going to go, because the dude said, if you don't come back with him, don't come back. So if he's not going, neither are we. And Jacob finally relents. He agrees to send him, but he says, listen, take some gifts.

Take that money that they returned. Take some more money to pay for new stuff. Give them the old stuff and then give them these presents like gifts from our land. Maybe that will help soften him up. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, they returned to Egypt. He said to the steward of his house, bring them in into the house, and slaughter an animal, and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon. I take them to my home and kill an animal and prepare a feast, because we're going to eat together at noon. And here's what the brothers say. Now the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's, to Joseph's house, and they said, it's because of the money. It's the money, man. Replaced in our sacks for that first time. We have been brought in, so he may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to turn us into his slaves. Right. When's the last time you went to the white House and thought, oh, great, he's going to turn me into one of his servants here at the white House. That's that's what he. That's why he invited me. I'm sitting in his kitchen at his dinner table. But it's a whole trick, right? Again, what's intended as a blessing is taken as a curse. So the brothers approached the servant and they say, hey, listen, man. Um, so last time, remember? Yeah, yeah.

Last time we got here was the money of just. We opened the sack. Money was saying, we don't know what happened. So here's the money. And we brought some more to buy some more grain. And the servant says, well, I don't know about you, but your God must really like you because I'm paid in full. You keep your money. I don't need it. When Joseph arrives, he asks how they're doing. How's that father of yours that you've told me about? Is he still alive? And then he sees Benjamin. Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son. And with that Joseph hurried out. Because he was overcome with affection for his brother. He was about to weep. So he went to a private room, and he wept there. Then he washed his face and came out controlling himself. He said, serve the meal. And so they served. And because of the customs, Egyptians couldn't eat with Hebrews. So? So he ate in one place, and the brothers all ate in another. Simeon's brought out to the brothers, and they start eating, and it's this incredible feast. And then they realize Benjamin's been brought like five times the amount of everybody else, like this incredible blessing. And as 43 ends, they're having this great party. Great evening. Next day, chapter 44 Joseph commands his servant, fill them in sacks with food as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of the sack.

But put my cup, the silver cup, the cup that everybody knows is my cup. Put that one in. The youngest with his money And the servant did it thinking all is well. The brothers get up. Great night. We got our food. All good. Paid debts. Let's go. And they head out until Joseph. A few minutes after they leave, Joseph pulls that servant aside and says, go after them and and catch them and ask him, how could you repay all the kindness that I showed with you, with evil, with stealing from me? And so the servant runs off and he catches up and he tells them exactly what Joseph says, and the brothers respond, look, the money that we found at the top of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we still silver and gold from your Lord's house? But should it be found with any one of your servants, let him die. Moreover, the rest of us will become my Lord's slaves right there. So confident we did not screw this one up. They have no idea what's happening because the servant lines them up. Oldest to youngest, searches all the sacks and finds. And the youngest the cup. How could you do this? How could you steal from our servant? I mean from from my lord. The brothers tear their clothes.

They're distraught. They don't know what else to do. They return back to the city, back in front of Joseph. They plead with him. Please, please, Judah says, please take me. Let him go. I'll serve. And Joseph says, no, no, no. They all say, we'll all we'll all serve as your servants. He says, no, far be it from me. The rest of you, go home. He's staying with me. And so Judah pulls him aside. Can we talk for a minute? Just. Please don't do this. I beg you, please don't do this. Have mercy. Right. Can you imagine the scene playing itself out in front of you? What must Joseph be thinking? Do those words sound eerily familiar to a time when he was desperate and he was crying out, have mercy, please have mercy! Only to be ignored. Judas says, don't. If you do this, it'll kill my father. Don't make me do this to my father. Then Joseph could no longer control himself. He lost control. He cries out everyone away! So no one stayed with him. When Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it. And in the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father still alive? But his brothers could not answer. They were so dismayed at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, come closer. And they came closer. And he said, I'm your brother, Joseph.

I'm your brother. You sold me into slavery. But don't be distressed. Don't be angry with yourself because you sold me here. If God sent me before you to preserve life. It's an amazing story of watching Joseph wrestle with how am I going to respond? And I think it's a story not just so we can see in Joseph, but but it gives us such a beautiful picture and such a terrible picture of how difficult it is to really forgive. Right, church? I mean, it's one thing to say, I forgive you. I forgive you. Right. We had our kids up here and one of them smacks one, we go, hey, say you're sorry. I'm sorry. It's okay, I forgive you. We're like right? It's one thing to say it. It's another thing to actually do it, to say, I'm going to keep choosing each day to not hold against you the thing that you did that deeply impacted and wounded me. I mean, the process of forgiveness here is messy. I think part of the reason the story is told the way that it's told is not. So we get a chance to see, like Joseph going, finally, I'm in charge and you're going to pay. But rather we see this terrible wrestling going on inside of him where he wants to punish them. He wants them to experience what he experienced and he kind of gives it to him. Right? And then then he can't help himself.

He sees his brother. And it just breaks him. It probably breaks him for a number of things. But just knowing the years that have been lost. Right. The pain. What we see. Joseph wants something more than revenge. He wants reconciliation. He wants it to be made right. You know, the process of forgiveness. It's messy and it's difficult, and it's painful and it's confusing. And in these moments where we see sometimes Joseph is ready to do it right and give him all the grain that they need and give them back their money. Their money's no good with me. We're family. Just give it to them. Right. And then you have this other side where he's not gonna throw you in jail for three days. Just to give you a little taste, right? And then the next day, he's. He's ready to give it back all again, and then he's ready to keep one of them. Right. It's this beautiful picture. Isn't that how real life is when we're trying to learn how to forgive? Right. Right? Some of us in this room have been through unspeakably unimaginable pain caused by family. There's no pain like family pain, right? And I'm not trying to just simplify it and say, well, just get over it, because Joseph doesn't just get over it. Right? By the time his brothers come back, that second conversation where they're begging for mercy, it's been 22 years. It's taken 22 years for Joseph to get to a place where he could actually take that next step.

See, forgiveness doesn't mean we learn to live with abuse or turn a blind eye to stuff. What it does mean is that we learn to live in light of the power of God's grace. You see, the only thing harder than learning how to forgive and live a life of forgiveness is living a life of unforgiveness. You see, you can't escape it. Joseph tried to escape it and it leaked out even in the name he gave to his own son. Would we trust God? I don't know exactly what this looks like. In fact, church, hear me say, I'm not trying to tell you the shape that forgiveness needs to take in your life. I'm just trying to tell you that God is powerful and he can heal. Now, it may take some time. It may take a trusted friend, or maybe going to a trusted counselor who can help you navigate the ins and the outs of what you've experienced from your family, or what you've perpetrated on your family. And if that's your next step, man, I encourage you would you go? And if you need help, come and ask. We'd love to to help get you connected to some trusted resources. Maybe this week there's someone that you're going to encounter that just triggers, right? They've been living here for a while, and that trigger may just be that reminder.

God, would you help me to sort out what I need to sort out, to deal with what I need to deal with? Because if not, it's going to lock me up. I think it's so powerful that Jesus tells his disciples, if you do not forgive your brother, your father in heaven will not forgive you. He doesn't say he he. If you can't, he can't. He says, if you don't, he won't. And that's a hard word because we we feel like, well, is it conditional? No, no, no. What he's explaining to us is forgiveness. It's like taking a breath to take another one. And you have to exhale, right? To breathe in more grace. You have to exhale. Otherwise God's going to bless you and you're going to be stuck holding on to that unforgiveness. And it's hard to live that way. Right. We've seen it in Joseph. We see it in his family. But friends, we can see it in ourselves. We can see it in our country, can't we? It doesn't take long. But what if we as a community decided we're going to commit to this? We're going to commit to being the kind of people who will pursue forgiveness in all its mess and its difficulties and its challenges. We're going to we're going to pursue it with all that we are. Because the only thing harder than learning to forgive is living without forgiveness. Father, I pray this this morning that you would help us to hear what it is that you want us to hear.

As some of us, God, have been holding on to have been rehearsing God, some people, and some actions, some things, some words have been living rent free in our minds. And father, we're tired. We're tired of being so locked up by it that we can't even see the grace that you pour out into our lives. It's always filtered through this damaged and broken lens. God, would you heal us today? Would you give us courage to step into the light and to the truth, knowing that there's no distance too far, that you can't capture us? You can't come and find us. There's no hurt that you can't heal. They were never beyond the reach of your grace. Yeah, but you help us to become gracious people. To live in light of the grace that you have so freely given to us. God, I know for that to happen, it's going to take some change. So, God, would you give us courage? Would you strengthen our feeble arms and our weak knees? Would you fill our hearts with your love? Would you surround us with trusted friends and counselors and elders? Shepherds, uh, spouses, husbands, wives, grandparents, grandkids, children, God, whatever we need to support us on this journey. Would you help us to commit ourselves to the way of Jesus? And that's the way of forgiveness. Thank you, father, for this example today. May it, may it echo in our lives. This week we pray in Jesus name. Amen.